JP2012035949A - Medium cassette and recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a medium cassette formed with consideration given to separation accuracy of a medium in the constitution having an upper mounting part, a lower mounting part and a separation part.SOLUTION: The medium cassette (5) includes: the lower mounting part 6; the upper mounting part 11 which can be switched between a first position on the medium (P) feeding direction upstream side and a second position on the downstream side; a common separation part (7) arranged in the lower mounting part 6 to separate the mediums (P1, P2); protruding parts 11a, 11a... arranged in the upper mounting part 11 to be protruded to the feeding direction downstream side; and supporting parts 6a, 6a... arranged in the lower mounting part 6 to support the protruding parts 11a, 11a... when the upper mounting part 11 is in the second position. The supporting parts 6a, 6a... are arranged independently of the common separation part (7) in terms of force transmission.

Description

The present invention is a medium cassette that can be attached to and detached from a feeding apparatus main body for feeding a medium, and includes a lower stage mounting part, an upper stage mounting part, and a separation part provided in the lower stage mounting part. The present invention relates to a medium cassette and a recording apparatus including the medium cassette.
In the present application, the recording apparatus includes types such as an ink jet printer, a wire dot printer, a laser printer, a line printer, a copying machine, and a facsimile.

  Conventionally, as shown in Patent Document 1, a paper feed cassette includes an upper tray and a lower tray. The upper tray is provided above the lower tray in the paper loading direction, and is configured to be slidable in the paper feeding direction relative to the lower tray. In addition, a relatively small size paper is placed on the upper tray, and a paper having a size larger than the paper size placed on the upper tray is placed on the lower tray. It was.

  Still further, when the upper tray is slid to the upstream side in the feeding direction, the sheet placed on the lower tray is selected. On the other hand, when the sheet is slid to the downstream side in the feeding direction, the sheet placed on the upper tray is selected. Specifically, when the upper tray is slid to the upstream side in the feed direction, the pickup roller on the recording apparatus main body contacts the paper placed on the lower tray and feeds the paper to the downstream side in the feed direction. Was configured to be able to. On the other hand, when the upper tray is slid to the downstream side in the feeding direction, the pickup roller comes into contact with the paper placed on the upper tray and can feed the paper downstream in the feeding direction. It was.

  Here, on the downstream side in the feeding direction of the lower tray, an inclined separation plate is formed that separates excess sheets from the uppermost sheet in the stacking direction when double feeding is performed. The inclined separation plate is provided to be inclined with respect to the posture of the loaded paper as viewed from the side. The inclined separation plate is provided so as to separate not only the paper in the lower tray but also the paper in the upper tray. In other words, the inclined separation plate is configured to be used in common both when the paper in the lower tray is selected and when the paper in the upper tray is selected.

  In addition, a positioning hole is formed in the inclined separation plate of the lower tray. On the other hand, a locking piece was formed at the downstream end of the upper tray in the feeding direction. Then, when the upper tray is slid to the downstream side in the feeding direction and the paper in the upper tray is selected, the locking piece is inserted into the positioning hole. This is to prevent the upper tray from shifting up and down in the width direction of the paper and up and down in the loading direction when the paper in the upper tray is selected.

Japanese Patent No. 4264748

  However, when the paper in the upper tray is selected, when the pickup roller feeds the paper downstream in the feeding direction, the pickup roller feeds the paper downstream while generating a frictional force by pressing the paper. . At this time, the pressing force from the pickup roller acts on the positioning hole of the lower tray via the locking piece of the upper tray. The force received by the positioning hole is transmitted to the inclined separation plate. That is, the positioning hole that supports the upper tray is configured to directly transmit the received force to the inclined separation plate. Therefore, there is a possibility that the inclined separation plate is deformed and the posture is changed. As a result, the angle at which the paper enters the inclined separation plate changes relatively, and the paper separation accuracy may become unstable.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and the subject thereof is a medium cassette in consideration of the separation accuracy of a medium in a configuration having an upper stage placement section, a lower stage placement section, and a separation section, and the medium. It is to provide a recording apparatus provided with a cassette.

In order to achieve the above object, a medium cassette according to a first aspect of the present invention is a medium cassette that can be attached to and detached from a feeder main body that feeds a medium, and is a lower stage placement unit on which the first medium is placed. And a first position on the upstream side in the feed direction by moving to the upstream side in the feed direction of the medium with respect to the lower stage placement unit. And a second position downstream of the first position. The upper stage placing part on which the second medium is placed and the lower stage placing part are placed. When the first medium that is provided downstream of the first medium in the feeding direction and is sent at the first position and the second medium that is sent at the second position are respectively double fed A common separation unit that separates the medium fed to the upper stage and the upper stage mounting unit. Provided on the downstream side in the feed direction and projecting to the downstream side in the feed direction, and a support portion provided on the lower stage placement part and supporting the projection part when the upper stage placement part is in the second position. And the support portion is provided independently of the common separation portion in terms of force transmission.
Here, “independently in terms of force transmission” refers to a relationship in which even if one part of a plurality of parts receives a force, the force does not directly affect the other parts. .

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the second medium is fed to the downstream side in the feeding direction by feeding means such as a feeding roller on the feeding device main body side, the biasing force of the feeding means is Can be prevented from being transmitted directly from the protrusion to the common separating portion. Specifically, the urging force is transmitted to the support part via the second medium placed on the upper stage placing part, the upper stage placing part, and the projecting part. Here, since the support portion is provided independently of the common separation portion in terms of force transmission, the force does not directly reach the common separation portion. Therefore, there is almost no possibility that the position of the common separation part will change or that the common separation part will be deformed. As a result, at the second position, the angle at which the second medium enters the common separator can be stabilized, and the separation accuracy of the common separator can be stabilized.
In addition, restrictions on the position and shape of the support part and the protrusion part can be reduced.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, in the front-rear direction of the medium placed, the upper stage placement part is provided on the basis of the common separation part in the lower stage placement part. The lower stage mounting part further includes a first extending part extending from a place where the first medium is placed toward the opposite side, and the support part is provided with the first extending part. And extending in a direction having a vector component upward in the mounting direction, and spaced apart from the common separation portion in the front-rear direction.
According to the 2nd aspect of this invention, in addition to the effect similar to a 1st aspect, the said support part is physically spaced apart with respect to the said common separation part in the said front-back direction. That is, the distance is long. Therefore, the support portion can be easily provided independently of the common separation portion in terms of force transmission.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the support portion is provided in the lower stage placement portion so as to extend in a direction having a vector component upward in the placement direction. The support portion and the common separation portion are arranged side by side in the width direction, and a gap is provided between the support portion and the common separation portion.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the same effect as the first aspect, the support portion is close to the common separation portion in distance, but the common separation portion is formed by the gap. In contrast, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which force is not directly transmitted. Therefore, the support portion can be easily provided independently of the common separation portion in terms of force transmission.
Furthermore, the support part can support the upper stage mounting part via the protrusion part at a position as close as possible to a place where the feed roller in the upper stage mounting part presses.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, in the front-rear direction of the medium placed, the upper stage placement unit is provided on the basis of the common separation unit in the lower stage placement unit. Toward the opposite side of the first extending portion extending from the place where the first medium is placed, and extending from the upper portion in the placing direction in the common separating portion to the first extending portion below. The lower mounting portion further includes the second extending portion, and the support portion is the common separating portion when viewed from the front-rear direction, the first extending portion, In the region formed by the second extending portion, the second extending portion is provided so as to extend in a direction having a vector component upward from the first extending portion in the mounting direction, and the common separating portion and the second extending portion It is separated from the installation part.

According to the 4th aspect of this invention, in addition to the effect similar to a 1st aspect, the said support part is physically spaced apart with respect to the said common separation part. Therefore, the same effect as that of the second aspect can be obtained. That is, the support portion can be easily provided independently of the common separation portion in terms of force transmission.
Furthermore, the second extending portion can support the common separation portion, and can increase the rigidity of the common separation portion. Therefore, the possibility that the position of the common separation portion may change and the common separation portion may be more reliably prevented from being deformed.

  A recording apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present invention includes a feeding unit that feeds a recording medium placed thereon, and a recording unit that records the recording medium sent by the feeding unit using a recording head. In the recording apparatus, the feeding unit includes the medium cassette according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, and the recording medium is the medium.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the feeding means includes the medium cassette according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, and the recording medium is the medium. Therefore, in the recording apparatus, the same effect as any one of the first to fourth can be obtained.

FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating the outline of the entire printer of the present embodiment. The top view which shows the two-stage cassette of a present Example (when an upper stage mounting part is a 1st position). The sectional side view which shows the two-stage cassette of a present Example (when an upper stage mounting part is a 1st position). The top view which shows the two-stage cassette of a present Example (when an upper stage mounting part is a 2nd position). The sectional side view which shows the two-stage cassette of a present Example (when an upper stage mounting part is a 2nd position). (A) (B) is a figure which shows the principal part of the two-stage cassette of other Example 1. FIG. The sectional side view which shows the principal part of the two-stage cassette of other Example 2.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a side view showing an outline of a printer which is an example of a recording apparatus according to the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 1 according to the present invention includes a medium feeding unit 2 as a medium feeding device, a feeding path, a recording unit 16, and a discharging unit 20.

Among these, the medium feeding means 2 is provided so that the paper P which is an example of the medium to be fed can be fed in the feeding direction Y. The feeding path is a path through which the paper P is sent, which is constituted by a medium guiding unit that guides the paper P sent by the medium feeding means or the like.
The recording unit 16 is configured to perform recording on the paper P sent by the medium feeding unit 2. Furthermore, the discharge unit 20 is provided so that the recorded paper P can be discharged and placed on a discharge tray (not shown).

Specifically, the medium feeding means 2 includes a two-stage cassette 5, which is an example of a multistage cassette as a placement section, a pickup roller 3, an arm section 4, a separation section 7, a first roller pair 14, 2 roller pairs 15.
Among these, the two-stage cassette 5 is configured to be detachable from the printer main body (medium feeding apparatus main body), and is provided so that the paper P is placed thereon. Further, the two-stage cassette 5 includes a lower stage mounting part 6, an upper stage mounting part 11, and an inclined surface 7 a as the separation part 7.

As will be described in detail later, a relatively large size sheet P1 serving as the first medium is placed on the lower stage placing unit 6, and a relatively smaller size serving as the second medium is placed on the upper stage placing unit 11. Sheet P2 is placed. Then, by sliding the upper stage placement unit 11, for the paper P to be sent, either the paper P 1 placed on the lower stage placement unit 6 or the paper P 2 placed on the upper stage placement unit 11 is selected. It is configured to be able to.
Further, the pickup roller 3 can be driven by the power of the motor, and each of the stacking directions of the sheets P1 and P2 stacked on the lower stage loading unit 6 and the upper stage loading unit 11 of the two-stage cassette 5 respectively. (Loading direction) It is provided so as to be in contact with the uppermost sheet P1, P2. Note that the direction indicated by the arrow on the Z axis is above the mounting direction.

Furthermore, the arm portion 4 is provided so as to be swingable around a swing shaft 4a on one end side that is upstream in the feed direction. And it is comprised so that the pick-up roller 3 may be rotatably hold | maintained to the other end side which is a feed direction downstream.
The motor may be provided at a location on the base part side of the printer 1 different from the arm part 4 or may be provided on the arm part. In the former case, the power is transmitted to the pickup roller 3 by a power transmission means such as a gear train through the swing shaft 4a. On the other hand, in the latter case, the power is transmitted to the pickup roller 3 by power transmission means such as a gear train without passing through the swing shaft 4a.

In addition, the separation unit 7 is provided on the downstream side in the feed direction from the place where the paper P1 is set in the lower stage placement unit 6 of the two-stage cassette 5. Specifically, it has an inclined surface 7 a that is inclined with respect to the posture of the sheet P fed by the pickup roller 3 as viewed from the side. When the paper P (P 1, P 2) is double fed, the uppermost paper P (P 1, P 2) and the subsequent paper P (P 1, P 2) can be separated from the pickup roller 3. It is provided so that it can. This is a so-called bank separation mechanism.
Here, the “bank separation mechanism” refers to a mechanism that provides a surface so that the paper P enters at a predetermined angle and separates the paper P by applying a load to the front end of the paper P.

  In the width direction X of the paper P, ribs 8, 8... For guiding the leading edge of the paper P (P1, P2) are provided at appropriate intervals at locations where the inclined surface 7a is not provided (FIG. 2, see FIG. The ribs 8, 8... Eliminate the difference between the path of the paper P (P1, P2) where the inclined surface 7a is not provided and the path of the paper P (P1, P2) where it is provided. It is formed to be able to.

Furthermore, the first roller pair 14 and the second roller pair 15 are provided so that the paper P (P1, P2) that has passed through the separation unit 7 can be sent to the recording unit 16. Among these, the 1st roller pair 14 has the 1st drive roller 14a and the 1st driven roller 14b.
Instead of the first driven roller 14b, a so-called retard roller with a predetermined load in rotation may be used. In such a case, when the separation by the bank separation mechanism is not sufficient, the double-fed paper P (P1, P2) can be reliably separated. That is, the paper that is in direct contact with the first drive roller 14a can be separated from the paper on the retard roller side from the paper.

The second roller pair 15 is provided on the downstream side of the first roller pair 14 in the feed path. Specifically, the second roller pair 15 has a second drive roller 15a and a second driven roller 15b. For example, the paper P (P1, P2) is provided to the recording unit 16 with high accuracy by a stepping motor.
Note that when the leading edge of the paper P (P1, P2) reaches the second roller pair 15, so-called skew removal is performed to correct the posture of the paper P (P1, P2) with respect to the feed direction Y. Needless to say.

  The recording unit 16 includes a carriage 17, a recording head 18, and a medium support unit 19. Of these, the carriage 17 moves in the width direction X by the power of the moving means (not shown) while being guided by a guide shaft (not shown) extending in the width direction X of the paper P (P1, P2). It is configured as follows. The recording head 18 is provided on the carriage 17 so that ink can be ejected onto the paper P (P1, P2). This is so-called ink jet recording.

Furthermore, the medium support unit 19 is provided at a position facing the recording head 18, supports the paper P (P1, P2), and sets the distance between the paper P (P1, P2) and the recording head 18 to a predetermined value. It is configured to be able to be spaced.
In the present embodiment, the ink jet recording unit 16 that ejects ink is used, but other configurations may be used. For example, a so-called laser printer configuration may be used in which toner is attached to the paper P and recording is performed on the paper P by applying heat and pressure.
The discharge unit 20 includes a third roller pair 21 and a discharge tray (not shown). The third roller pair 21 is provided on the downstream side of the recording unit 16 in the feeding path, and is provided so that the recorded paper P (P1, P2) can be sent to the discharge tray.

Subsequently, the two-stage cassette 5 of the present embodiment will be described in detail.
FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an outline of the two-stage cassette of the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing the outline of the two-stage cassette of the present embodiment. Further, FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an outline of the two-stage cassette of the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is a side sectional view showing an outline of the two-stage cassette of the present embodiment. Among these, FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 are when the upper stage mounting portion is in the first position. On the other hand, FIGS. 4 and 5 are when the upper stage mounting portion is in the second position.

Here, the “first position” refers to a position on the upstream side in the feed direction within a range movable in the feed direction. And, at the “first position”, the paper of the lower stage placement unit is selected from the paper of the upper stage placement unit and the paper of the lower stage placement unit.
On the other hand, the “second position” refers to a position downstream in the feed direction from the first position. In the “second position”, the paper in the upper stage is selected from the paper in the upper stage and the paper in the lower stage.

[In the first position]
As shown in FIG. 2, the lower stage mounting portion 6 is further provided with a first edge guide 9 a, a second edge guide 9 b, and a first rear end guide 10. Among these, the first edge guide 9 a is fixedly provided on one end side in the width direction X of the paper P. And it is comprised so that it can contact with the end of the paper P1 mounted in the lower stage mounting part 6, and can position this end.

  The second edge guide 9b is provided on the other end side in the width direction X of the paper P so as to be slidable in the width direction X. Then, the second edge guide 9b is brought into contact with the other end of the paper P1 by sliding the second edge guide 9b to a position corresponding to the size of the paper P1 placed on the lower stage placing portion 6, and the other It is configured so that the end can be positioned. Accordingly, the position of the paper P1 placed on the lower stage placement unit 6 in the width direction X can be determined by the first edge guide 9a and the second edge guide 9b.

As a result, when there are a plurality of sheets P1, the side edges of the sheets P1 can be aligned. Further, the posture of the paper P1 with respect to the feeding direction Y can be stabilized.
In the present embodiment, the sheet P1 has a so-called one-sided configuration in which the sheet P1 is positioned based on the first edge guide 9a. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Needless to say, the first edge guide 9a and the second edge guide 9b may be moved in a symmetrical manner by a rack and pinion mechanism so as to align the paper P1 at the center in the width direction.

  Furthermore, the first rear end guide 10 is provided on the upstream side in the feed direction of the paper P so as to be slidable in the feed direction Y. Then, by sliding the first rear end guide 10 to a position corresponding to the size of the paper P1 placed on the lower stage placement unit 6, the first rear end guide 10 contacts the rear end of the paper P1, The rear end can be positioned. Therefore, when there are a plurality of sheets of paper P1, the rear ends of the sheets P1 can be aligned.

  Moreover, the upper stage mounting part 11 is provided with a third edge guide 12a, a fourth edge guide 12b, a second rear end guide 13, and projections 11a, 11a,. Among these, the third edge guide 12a is fixedly provided on one end side in the width direction X of the paper P, like the first edge guide 9a. And it is comprised so that it may contact with the end of the paper P2 mounted in the upper stage mounting part 11, and can position this end.

The fourth edge guide 12b is provided on the other end side in the width direction X of the paper P so as to be slidable in the width direction X, similarly to the second edge guide 9b. Then, the fourth edge guide 12b is brought into contact with the other end of the paper P2 by sliding the fourth edge guide 12b to a position corresponding to the size of the paper P2 placed on the upper placement portion 11, and the other It is configured so that the end can be positioned. Therefore, the position of the paper P2 placed on the upper stage placement unit 11 in the width direction X can be determined by the third edge guide 12a and the fourth edge guide 12b.
In the present embodiment, the one-side aligned structure is used, but it is needless to say that the center-aligned structure may be used.

  Furthermore, the second rear end guide 13 is provided so as to be slidable in the feed direction Y on the upstream side in the feed direction of the paper P in the upper stage loading portion 11, similarly to the first rear end guide 10. Then, by sliding the second rear end guide 13 to a position corresponding to the size of the paper P2 placed on the upper stage placement unit 11, the second rear end guide 13 comes into contact with the rear end of the paper P2. The rear end can be positioned.

Further, the projecting portions 11a, 11a,... Are provided at the downstream end in the feeding direction of the paper P2 in the upper stacking portion 11 so as to protrude downstream in the feeding direction. This is in contact with the support portions 6a, 6a,... Provided in the lower placement portion 6 and is supported by the support portions 6a, 6a,. This is for determining the position of the mounting portion 11.
In the width direction X, the inclined surfaces 7 a and 7 a of the separation unit 7 are provided at positions facing the pickup rollers 3 and 3. This is because when the pickup rollers 3 and 3 are in contact with each other, the posture on the leading end side of the paper P in the vicinity of the contact point can be stabilized. This is because the angle at which the leading edge of the paper P enters the inclined surfaces 7a and 7a can be stabilized, and the separation accuracy can be stabilized.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, an inclined portion 11b is formed at a place on the upper side in the placement direction of the protrusions 11a, 11a. The inclined portion 11b is inclined such that the downstream portion is higher in the placement direction Z than the upstream portion in the feed direction. Therefore, when the upper stage placement unit 11 is in the first position, the small size paper P2 placed on the upper stage placement unit 11 moves to the downstream side in the feed direction for some reason and comes into contact with the pickup roller 3. Can be prevented.
The height of the inclined portion 11b is determined according to the maximum number of sheets P2 that can be placed on the upper placement portion 11.

Furthermore, when the upper stage placement unit 11 is in the first position, the relatively large size paper P1 as the first medium placed on the lower stage placement unit 6 can come into contact with the pickup roller 3. . At this time, the relatively small size paper P2 as the second medium placed on the upper stage placement unit 11 does not face the pickup roller 3 and therefore does not contact the pickup roller 3. Further, as described above, the inclined portion 11 b can hold the relatively small size paper P <b> 2 placed on the upper stage placement unit 11 on the upper stage placement unit 11.
Accordingly, the pickup roller 3 can feed only the relatively large size paper P1 placed on the lower stage placing portion 6 to the downstream side in the feeding direction.

  Further, the lower stage placing portion 6 has a bottom portion 6c as a first extending portion that extends in a direction from the rear to the rear in the front-rear direction U of the paper P1 placed from the place where the leading edge of the paper P1 is placed. Is formed. Further, wall portions 6b, 6b... Extending upward from the bottom portion 6c in the mounting direction are formed. The walls 6b, 6b... Serve as walls at the downstream end of the lower stage mounting portion 6. And above the wall portions 6b, 6b ... are supporting portions 6a, 6a ... that contact the projections 11a, 11a ... and support the projections 11a, 11a ... from below when in a second position described later. Is formed.

Of course, a plurality of wall portions 6b may be formed at intervals in the width direction X, or may be formed continuously in the width direction X. In the present embodiment, the wall 6b only needs to be separated from the inclined surfaces 7a and 7a in the front-rear direction U of the paper P1.
In addition, although the support portions 6a, 6a... Are formed on the wall portion 6b, the wall portions themselves may of course be the support portions 6a, 6a.

[In the second position]
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the upper stage mounting portion 11 can slide from the first position in FIGS. 2 and 3 to the second position on the downstream side. In addition, the upper stage mounting part 11 shall be able to slide while being guided by a guide rail (not shown) provided in the lower stage mounting part 6.
When the upper stage placement unit 11 is in the second position, the paper P2 placed on the upper stage placement unit 11 is in a relationship facing the pickup roller 3 and is in contact with the pickup roller 3. Further, the support parts 6a, 6a,... Of the lower stage mounting part 6 are provided so that the protrusion parts 11a, 11a,.

  The inclined portions 11b, 11b,... Of the protrusions 11a, 11a,... Move from the inclined surfaces 7a, 7a of the separating portion 7 to the retracted position with respect to the placed paper P2. Accordingly, there is no possibility that the inclined portions 11b, 11b,... Of the projections 11a, 11a,... Prevent the leading edge of the paper P2 from coming into contact with the inclined surfaces 7a, 7a of the separating portion 7. Further, there is no possibility that the inclined portions 11b, 11b,... Of the protruding portions 11a, 11a,.

Here, the support portions 6a, 6a,... Are provided independently of the inclined surfaces 7a, 7a of the separation portion 7 in terms of force transmission.
“Independently in terms of force transmission” refers to a relationship in which even when one portion of a plurality of portions receives a force, the force does not directly reach the other portions. In this embodiment, the relationship between the support portions 6a, 6a ... and the inclined surfaces 7a, 7a is such that the force against the inclined surfaces 7a, 7a is the same even when the support portions 6a, 6a ... receive force. It is a relationship that does not reach directly. Specifically, in the front-rear direction U of the loaded paper P1, the support portions 6a, 6a,... Are formed physically separated from the inclined surfaces 7a, 7a.

  Then, the pickup roller 3 presses the paper P2 placed on the upper stage placement unit 11 and feeds the paper P2 downstream in the feeding direction while generating a frictional force between the paper P2 and the pickup roller 3. . At this time, the supporting portions 6a, 6a,... Are configured to be able to receive the pressing force downward in the mounting direction of the pickup roller 3 through the protrusions 11a, 11a,. That is, the pressing force is configured not to be directly transmitted to the inclined surfaces 7a and 7a of the separation unit 7.

Therefore, there is no possibility that the inclined surfaces 7a and 7a are deformed by the pressing force, and the posture of the inclined surfaces 7a and 7a can be stabilized. As a result, the angle at which the paper P2 enters the inclined surfaces 7a and 7a can be stabilized, and the separation accuracy by the inclined surfaces 7a and 7a can be stabilized.
Further, the portion facing the pickup rollers 3, 3 in the upper stage mounting portion 11 is bent so as to be lowered downward in the mounting direction relative to other locations, for example, both ends in the width direction of the upper stage mounting portion 11. Therefore, the amount of deformation can be reduced. That is, the pressing force of the pickup roller 3 can be made to act firmly on the paper P2. Accordingly, the pickup roller 3 can reliably apply a feeding force that is a force to feed the sheet P2 downstream in the feeding direction. As a result, even when the paper P2 of the upper stage placing unit 11 is selected, the pickup roller 3 stably feeds the paper P2 placed on the upper stage placing unit 11 one by one downstream in the feeding direction. Can do.

In addition, when returning the upper stage mounting part 11 from a 2nd position to a 1st position, it is only necessary to slide the upper stage mounting part 11 to a feed direction upstream.
In this embodiment, three protrusions 11a and three support portions 6a are provided, but the number is not limited to three. Of course, each may be two or less, or four or more.
Furthermore, although two inclined surfaces 7a and two pickup rollers 3 are provided in the width direction X, the number is not limited to two. Of course, each may be one or three or more.

Of course, the lower portion in the mounting direction at the tip of the protrusion 11a may be inclined with respect to the sliding movement direction. Thereby, the tip of the projection 11a is not caught by the support 6a when switching from the first position to the second position, and the tip of the projection 11a can be guided to the upper surface of the support 6a.
Furthermore, in the present embodiment, a two-stage cassette including a lower stage mounting part and an upper stage mounting part has been described as an example of a multistage cassette, but the present invention is not limited to two stages. Of course, three or more stages may be used. Protrusions provided above the lower stage placement part, including a middle stage placement part and an upper stage placement part that slide in the front-rear direction U of the placed paper, and provided on the interrupted placement part and the upper stage placement part The part may be configured to be supported by the support part provided in the lower stage placing part when in the second position.
Moreover, although the lower stage mounting portion, the support portion, and the inclined surface are configured by integral molding, they may not be integrally molded. In other words, the lower stage mounting portion, the support portion, and the inclined surface are configured as one member, but may be configured as separate members. If at least the support portion and the inclined surface are separate members, the force can be more difficult to transmit.
Furthermore, in this embodiment, the inclined surface 7a having a flat surface has been described as an example of the separating portion 7. However, it is needless to say that the inclined surface may have a small dent and a protrusion on the surface.

  A two-stage cassette 5 as a medium cassette according to the present embodiment is a two-stage cassette 5 that can be attached to and detached from the medium feeding means 2 as a feeding apparatus main body that feeds paper P, which is an example of a medium. As a lower stage placing unit 6 on which a relatively large size paper P1 is placed, and a sheet P1 placed on the lower stage placing unit 6 in the placement direction, with respect to the lower stage placing unit 6 By moving the sheet P upstream and downstream in the feed direction, it is possible to switch between the first position upstream of the feed direction and the second position downstream of the first position. In the upper stage placement unit 11 on which the relatively small size paper P2 as the medium is placed and the lower stage placement unit 6, it is provided on the downstream side in the feed direction from the placed paper P1, and is located at the first position. When the paper P1 is sent and the second position Inclined surfaces 7a and 7a serving as a separation unit 7 which is a common separation unit for separating the double-fed paper (P1, P2) when the paper P2 to be fed is double-fed, and downstream in the feed direction of the upper stage placement unit 11 Provided on the side and projecting downstream in the feed direction, and provided on the lower stage mounting part 6, and when the upper stage mounting part 11 is in the second position, supports the projection parts 11a, 11a. The supporting portions 6a, 6a,... Are provided independently of the inclined surfaces 7a, 7a of the separating portion 7 in terms of force transmission.

  Further, in this embodiment, in the front-rear direction U of the loaded paper P, it faces toward the side opposite to the side on which the upper stage placement unit 11 is provided with reference to the inclined surfaces 7a and 7a of the lower stage placement unit 6. The lower stage placing part 6 further includes a bottom part 6c as a first extending part extending from the place where the paper P1 is placed, and the support parts 6a, 6a,. And extending in the direction having the vector component to the front and rear sides U and spaced apart from the inclined surfaces 7a and 7a.

In this embodiment, the support portions 6a, 6a... Are formed on the wall portion 6b, but the wall portions themselves may be the support portions 6a, 6a.
The support portions 6a, 6a,... Are provided on the wall portions 6b, 6b,... Extending upward from the bottom portion 6c in the placement direction, but are provided so as to extend in a direction having a vector component upward in the placement direction. Just do it. If it extends in this direction, it is possible to receive a downward pressing force acting on the mounting direction from the pickup roller 3 via the protrusion 11a at the second position, and the upper stage mounting portion 11 in the mounting direction Z can be received. This is because the position of can be determined.

  The printer 1 as the recording apparatus of the present embodiment includes a medium feeding unit 2 that is a feeding unit that feeds paper P (P1, P2), which is an example of a recording medium placed in the two-stage cassette 5, and a medium feeding unit. And a recording unit 16 that records the recording sheet 18 on the paper P (P1, P2) sent by the printer 2.

[Other Example 1]
FIGS. 6A and 6B are diagrams showing the main part of another two-stage cassette according to the first embodiment. Among these, FIG. 6A is a plan view. On the other hand, FIG. 6B is a side sectional view. FIGS. 6A and 6B show the case where the upper stage mounting portion is in the second position.
6 (A) and 6 (B), in the width direction X, the inclined surfaces 7a, 7a and the gaps S are provided on both sides of the inclined surfaces 7a, 7a, and the guide inclined surfaces 31, 31,. Is formed.
Since other members are the same as those in the above-described embodiment, the same reference numerals are used, and the description thereof is omitted.

The guide inclined surfaces 31, 31... Are provided so as to be able to guide the paper P1 (P) in the same manner as the ribs 8, 8. Further, the guide inclined surfaces 31, 31... Are slightly retracted from the inclined surfaces 7 a, 7 a of the separating unit 7 with respect to the paper P <b> 1 (P), and are inclined from the bottom 6 c of the lower stacking unit 6. Is extended to the downstream side in the feed direction with the same inclination (see FIG. 6B).
And the support parts 30, 30 ... of the lower stage mounting part 6 which can support the protrusion parts 32, 32 ... of the upper stage mounting part 11 are formed above the mounting direction on the guide inclined surfaces 31, 31 .... Yes.
Here, the support portions 30, 30... Are provided independently of the inclined surfaces 7 a, 7 a of the separation portion 7 in terms of force transmission. Specifically, in the width direction X, a gap S is provided between the support portions 30, 30... And the inclined surfaces 7 a and 7 a of the separation portion 7.

Therefore, when the upper stage mounting portion 11 is in the second position, when a pressing force downward in the mounting direction of the pickup roller 3 acts on the support portions 30, 30. It is possible to prevent the pressure from being directly transmitted to the inclined surfaces 7 a and 7 a of the separation unit 7. As a result, the postures of the inclined surfaces 7a and 7a can be stabilized. The angle at which the paper P2 enters the inclined surfaces 7a and 7a can be stabilized, and the separation accuracy by the inclined surfaces 7a and 7a can be stabilized.
Further, in the upper stage placement unit 11, the part facing the pickup rollers 3, 3 is lowered to the lower side in the placement direction relative to other parts, for example, the width direction both ends of the upper stage placement part 11. The amount of bending and deformation can be reduced.

  Furthermore, in the front-rear direction U of the loaded paper P, the positions of the support portions 30, 30... Can be made closer to the inclined surfaces 7a, 7a than in the above-described embodiment. In other words, in the front-rear direction U, the position where the support portions 30, 30... Support the protrusions 32, 32... Is compared with the above-described embodiment, and the pickup roller 3 presses the paper P2 (P). You can get closer. Accordingly, the portion where the pickup roller 3 presses the paper P2 (P) is lowered in the placement direction relative to the portion where the protrusions 32, 32... Are supported by the support portions 30, 30. Thus, the amount of bending and deformation can be reduced. As a result, the angle at which the leading edge of the paper P2 (P) enters the inclined surfaces 7a and 7a of the separation unit 7 can be stabilized, and the separation accuracy can be stabilized correspondingly.

In the other embodiment 1, the support portions 30, 30... Are provided in the lower stage placement portion 6 so as to extend in a direction having a vector component upward in the placement direction, and the width direction with respect to the feeding direction Y of the paper P In X, the support portions 30, 30... And the inclined surfaces 7a, 7a are arranged side by side, and a gap S is provided between the supports 30, 30... And the inclined surfaces 7a, 7a. .
In the other embodiment 1, the support portions 30, 30... Are extended from the bottom portion 6c to the downstream side in the feed direction having the same inclination as the inclined surfaces 7a, 7a and having a vector component upward in the placement direction. Although provided on the inclined surfaces 31, 31..., It only needs to be provided extending in a direction having a vector component upward in the mounting direction. Of course, the strength may be increased by adding a portion extending from the support portion 30 to the bottom portion 6c below the placement direction so that the guide inclined surface 31 is not deformed by the pressing force. In such a case, the support portion 30 can firmly receive the pressing force. The gap S may be a so-called slit that is a narrow gap. This is because if there is a slight gap, it is possible to prevent force from being directly transmitted from the support portions 30, 30... To the inclined surfaces 7a, 7a. Of course, the distance of the gap S may be long. It is because the same effect can be obtained.

[Other Example 2]
FIG. 7 is a side sectional view showing a main part of a two-stage cassette of another embodiment 2. FIG. 7 shows the case where the upper stage mounting portion is in the second position.
As shown in FIG. 7, in the width direction X, guide inclined surfaces 41, 41... Are formed on both sides of the inclined surfaces 7a, 7a of the separating portion 7. Further, as viewed from the front-rear direction U of the paper P, the guide inclined surfaces 41, 41..., The bottom 43 as the first extending portion, and the guide inclined surfaces 41, 41. A region A is formed by wall portions 42, 42... As second extending portions provided on the opposite side to the sheet P2 (P). In this region, the support portions 40, 40... Extend upward from the bottom portion 43 in the placement direction. Further, the guide inclined surfaces 41, 41... Are provided with holes 44, 44.

And the protrusion parts 45, 45 ... of the upper stage mounting part 11 are comprised so that it can approach into the said area | region A through the hole parts 44, 44 .... When the upper stage mounting part 11 is in the second position, the protrusions 45, 45... Are supported by the support parts 40, 40.
Since other members are the same as those in the above-described embodiment, the same reference numerals are used, and the description thereof is omitted.

As a result, as in the above-described embodiment, the downward pressing force of the pickup roller 3 is not directly transmitted to the inclined surfaces 7a and 7a of the separation unit 7. Therefore, the postures of the inclined surfaces 7a and 7a can be stabilized. As a result, the separation accuracy by the inclined surfaces 7a and 7a of the separation part 7 can be stabilized.
Further, in the upper stage placement portion 11, the portion facing the pickup roller 3 is bent so as to be lowered downward in the placement direction relative to other places, for example, both ends in the width direction of the upper stage placement portion 11. The amount of deformation can be reduced.
Still further, the walls 42, 42... Can increase the rigidity of the inclined surfaces 7a, 7a.
Further, by providing the support portions 40, 40... In the region A, a so-called dead space can be used effectively.

In another embodiment 2, in the front-rear direction U of the loaded paper P, it faces toward the side opposite to the side where the upper stage placement part 11 is provided with reference to the inclined surfaces 7a, 7a of the lower stage placement part 6. The bottom portion 43 as a first extending portion that extends from the place where the paper P1 is placed, and the second extending portion that extends from the place in the loading direction on the inclined surfaces 7a and 7a to the bottom portion 43 below. The lower stage mounting portion 6 further includes wall portions 42, 42, and the support portions 40, 40... Are inclined surfaces 7 a, 7 a when viewed from the front-rear direction U, and a bottom portion 43. In the region formed by the wall portions 42, 42..., Extending in a direction having a vector component upward from the bottom portion 43 in the mounting direction, and the inclined surfaces 7a, 7a and the wall portions 42, 42. It is separated from ....
In the second embodiment, the support portions 40, 40... Are provided so as to extend upward from the bottom 43 in the placement direction, but are provided so as to extend in a direction having a vector component upward in the placement direction. Just do it.

[Other Example 3]
In another embodiment 3, the lower stage mounting portion 6 is a pressing portion that comes into contact with the protruding portions (11a, 32, 45) from the upper side in the mounting direction in addition to the support portions (6a, 30, 40) of the above-described embodiment. (Not shown). In addition, illustration of other Example 3 is abbreviate | omitted. The other members are the same as those in the embodiment described above, and the same reference numerals are used.

Similarly to the support portions (6a, 30, 40), the pressing portion (not shown) is also provided independently of the inclined surfaces 7a, 7a of the separation portion 7 in terms of force transmission. In addition, the pressing portion is based on a place where the support portions (6a, 30, 40) are in contact with the lower side of the projection portions (11a, 32, 45) in the front-rear direction U of the loaded paper P2 (P). The pickup roller 3 is configured to be in contact with the upper side of the protrusions (11a, 32, 45) on the side opposite to the side in contact with the paper P2 (P).
Here, the pickup roller side is pressed by the pressing force of the pickup roller 3 from the position where the support portion (6a, 30, 40) in the upper stage placement portion 11 contacts the lower side of the projection portion (11a, 32, 45). It tries to bend so that (6a, 30, 40) may fall below a mounting direction relatively with respect to the location which contacts the lower side of projection part (11a, 32, 45).

  Therefore, in another embodiment 3, the pressing portion is provided, and the pressing portion can act so as to cancel the deflection on the opposite side. Specifically, if the pickup roller side bends downward from the reference of the upper mounting portion 11, the opposite side rises upward from the reference. When the pressing portion presses the opposite side, the opposite side can be prevented from rising upward. As a result, the amount of bending so that the pickup roller side is lowered from the reference can be almost eliminated.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the invention described in the claims, and these are also included in the scope of the present invention. Needless to say.

1 Printer, 2 Medium feeding means, 3 Pickup roller, 4 Arm part,
4a Oscillating shaft, 5 Two-stage cassette, 6 Lower stage mounting part, 6a Support part, 6b Wall part,
6c bottom part, 7 separating part, 7a inclined surface, 8 rib, 9a first edge guide,
9b 2nd edge guide, 10 1st rear end guide, 11 Upper stage mounting part, 11a Protrusion part,
11b inclined part, 12a 3rd edge guide, 12b 4th edge guide,
13 Second rear end guide, 14 First roller pair, 14a First drive roller,
14b 1st driven roller (retard roller), 15 2nd roller pair,
15a 2nd driving roller, 15b 2nd driven roller, 16 recording part,
17 Carriage, 18 Recording head, 19 Medium support part, 20 Ejection part,
21 3rd roller pair, 30 support part (of other Embodiment 1), 31 guidance inclined surface,
32 protrusions, 40 (other embodiment 2) support, 41 guide inclined surface, 42 walls,
43 bottom part, 44 hole part, 45 protrusion part, A area, P paper,
P1 large size paper (first medium), P2 small size paper (second medium),
S gap, U front and rear direction of the loaded paper, X width direction, Y feed direction,
Z Placement direction (vertical direction)

Claims (5)

A media cassette that can be attached to and detached from the feeder main body for feeding the media,
A lower stage placement unit on which the first medium is placed;
When the first position is provided upstream of the first medium placed and moved upstream and downstream in the medium feeding direction with respect to the lower stage loading portion, and at the first position upstream in the feeding direction; An upper stage mounting portion on which a second medium is placed; and a second position downstream of the first position.
In the lower stage loading portion, the first medium is provided at the downstream side in the feeding direction from the placed first medium, and is sent at the first position, and the first medium is sent at the second position. A common separation unit that separates the double-fed medium when the two mediums are double-fed respectively;
A protrusion provided on the downstream side in the feed direction in the upper stage mounting portion and projecting downstream in the feed direction;
Provided on the lower stage mounting part, and when the upper stage mounting part is in the second position, a support part that supports the projection part,
The medium cassette according to claim 1, wherein the support portion is provided independently of the common separation portion in terms of force transmission. 2. The medium cassette according to claim 1, wherein, in a front-rear direction of the medium placed, the medium cassette faces toward a side opposite to a side on which the upper stage placement part is provided with respect to the common separation part in the lower stage placement part. The lower stage mounting part further includes a first extending part extending from a place where the first medium is placed,
The medium is characterized in that the support portion is provided so as to extend from the first extending portion in a direction having a vector component upward in the mounting direction, and is separated from the common separation portion in the front-rear direction. cassette. The medium cassette according to claim 1, wherein the support portion is provided to extend in a direction having a vector component upward in the placement direction in the lower stage placement portion,
The media cassette, wherein the support portion and the common separation portion are arranged side by side in the width direction with respect to the medium feeding direction, and a gap is provided between the support portion and the common separation portion. . 2. The medium cassette according to claim 1, wherein, in a front-rear direction of the medium placed, the medium cassette faces toward a side opposite to a side on which the upper stage placement part is provided with respect to the common separation part in the lower stage placement part. A first extending portion extending from a place where the first medium is placed;
The lower mounting portion further includes a second extending portion that extends from a location above the mounting direction in the common separating portion to the first extending portion below,
The support portion includes the first extending portion in a region formed by the common separating portion, the first extending portion, and the second extending portion when viewed from the side toward the front-rear direction. A medium cassette, wherein the medium cassette is provided so as to extend in a direction having a vector component upward from the mounting direction, and is separated from the common separating portion and the second extending portion. A feeding means for sending the recording medium placed thereon;
A recording device for recording with a recording head on a recording medium sent by the feeding means,
5. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the feeding unit includes the medium cassette according to claim 1, and the recording medium is the medium.

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