JP2009001412A - Image recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image recording device capable of cleaning a roller with a simple constitution without performing any troublesome work such as attachment/detachment and storage of a cleaning member by a user. <P>SOLUTION: Side guides 80, 81 for positioning recording paper sheets are movably provided in a paper feed tray 20. Cleaning members 131, 132 are provided on the side guide 81. The recording paper sheets placed in the paper feed tray 20 are held in the paper feed tray 20 when the side guide 81 is arranged at the first position. When the side guide 81 is arranged at the second position, a paper feed roller 25 moved to the paper feed tray 20 side is pressed against the cleaning member 131 or the cleaning member 132 while any recording paper sheet is placed in the paper feed tray 20. In this state, the paper feed roller 25 is turned and cleaned. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus that conveys a sheet stored in a tray and records an image on the sheet during the conveyance process.

  In the image recording apparatus, the roller is pressed against the recording paper stored in the tray, and the roller is rotationally driven in this state. As a result, the recording paper is supplied from the tray to a predetermined conveyance path. The recording paper is attached with ink and toner in the process of being conveyed along the conveying path. Thereby, a desired image is formed on the recording paper. As described above, since the roller is rotationally driven while being pressed against the recording paper, paper dust or dust on the recording paper adheres to the roller. When paper dust or dust adheres to the roller, there is a problem that jamming or supply failure of the recording paper occurs. In order to solve these problems, a conventional image recording apparatus is provided with means for cleaning a roller (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  The printer described in Patent Document 1 has a cleaning sheet that is detachable from the tray. The cleaning sheet is a base sheet provided with a hook and a sponge-like cleaning cloth. The cleaning sheet is fixed in the tray by a hook. The tray is attached to the printer main body in a state where the cleaning sheet is fixed and no recording paper is placed. Thereby, a roller contacts a cleaning cloth. When the paper feed button is pressed in this state, the roller is driven to rotate and the surface of the roller is cleaned with a cleaning cloth.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-92641

  Incidentally, in the printer described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to take out a sheet such as recording paper from the tray, fix the cleaning sheet to the tray, and mount the tray on the printer before cleaning the rollers. In addition, after cleaning the roller, it is necessary to remove the cleaning sheet from the tray and store it. As described above, in the printer, the user has to perform troublesome work before and after cleaning the roller.

  Further, it is necessary to configure the cleaning sheet according to the shape of the tray and the arrangement of the rollers. For this reason, there is a problem that the configuration of the entire printer is complicated, and as a result, the cost of the printer is increased.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an image in which a roller can be cleaned with a simple configuration without a troublesome operation of a user installing or removing a cleaning member for storage. An object is to provide a recording apparatus.

  (1) An image recording apparatus according to the present invention includes a first tray on which a sheet is placed, a positioning member configured to be movable in the first tray, and positioning the sheet with respect to the first tray. And a first conveyance path through which a sheet supplied from the first tray is conveyed, and a movement in a direction toward and away from the first tray, and the sheet on the first tray is moved to the first conveyance A roller for supplying to the path, a recording unit for recording an image on the sheet in the course of conveying the sheet, and a cleaning member provided on the positioning member for cleaning the roller. A first position for holding a sheet placed on one tray, and the roller moved to the first tray in a state where no sheet is placed on the first tray. And a second position that is pressed, between which is movable in.

  A sheet used for image recording is placed on the first tray. The first tray is provided with a positioning member. The positioning member positions the sheet placed on the first tray with respect to the first tray. The positioning member is configured to be movable in the first tray according to the size of the sheet placed on the first tray.

  In the image recording apparatus of the present invention, when printing is instructed, the sheet is supplied from the first tray to the first conveyance path. An image is recorded on the sheet by the recording unit in the process of being conveyed along the first conveyance path. This image recording is performed by attaching ink or toner to the sheet. The sheet on the first tray is supplied to the first conveyance path when the roller pressed against the sheet is rotationally driven. The roller is configured to be movable in a direction in which the roller comes in contact with and separates from the first tray. For example, an arm is provided that can rotate in a direction that makes contact with and away from the first tray about a predetermined fulcrum, and the roller is rotatably provided on the tip side of the arm.

  The above-described positioning member is provided with a cleaning member. The cleaning member is made of rubber, brush, felt or the like. The positioning member is configured to be movable between the first position and the second position. The sheet is placed on the first tray with the positioning member disposed at the first position. Thereby, the sheet is positioned with respect to the first tray. The positioning member is disposed at the second position in a state where no sheet is placed on the first tray. Since no sheet is placed on the first tray, the roller moves toward the first tray and is pressed against the cleaning member. In this way, the roller is driven to rotate with the positioning member disposed at the second position, whereby the roller is cleaned by the cleaning member. Here, the cleaning is an operation of removing paper dust, ink, toner, dust, and the like adhering to the roller from the roller while the cleaning member is in contact with the roller. As described above, the roller can be cleaned by moving the positioning member for positioning the sheet with respect to the first tray to the second position. For this reason, it is possible to clean the roller with a simple configuration without performing a cumbersome operation such as installing or removing the cleaning member and storing it by the user.

  (2) The positioning member may be a rear guide that comes into contact with an upstream end in the conveyance direction of the sheet placed on the first tray.

  The sheet is placed on the first tray with the rear guide disposed at the first position. As a result, the upstream end of the sheet in the conveying direction comes into contact with the rear guide. As a result, the leading edge of the sheet is positioned at a predetermined position in the first tray regardless of the size of the sheet. The rear guide is moved from the first position to the second position. As a result, the roller is pressed against the cleaning member provided on the rear guide, and the roller can be cleaned.

  (3) It is preferable that the cleaning member is longer in the transport direction than the contact surface of the cleaning member with the roller.

  By moving the rear guide, the position of the cleaning member in contact with the roller is changed. As compared with the case where the length of the cleaning member in the transport direction is substantially equal to the length of the contact surface, the cleaning member can be used more repeatedly.

  (4) In the image recording apparatus of the present invention, when the rear guide is moved from the first position to the second position, the rear guide comes into contact with the rear guide and is downstream of the second position of the rear guide in the transport direction. You may provide the stopper which stops the movement to.

  The rear guide is in contact with the stopper in a state of being arranged at the second position. For this reason, the rear guide moved from the first position side to the second position side is restrained, and the rear guide is reliably arranged at the second position. Further, when the roller is driven to rotate for cleaning, the stopper prevents the rear guide that supports the cleaning member from moving downstream in the transport direction.

  (5) The rear guide substantially aligns a downstream end portion in the conveyance direction of the sheet placed on the first tray with a reference position of the first tray, and the second position is It is preferable that the position is on the downstream side of the first position corresponding to the minimum size sheet that can be placed on the first tray.

  In a state where the rear guide is disposed at the second position, the sheet cannot be placed on the first tray. For this reason, it is possible to prevent a problem that the roller cannot be cleaned because the sheet is placed on the first tray even though the cleaning member is disposed at the cleaning position.

  (6) The positioning member may be a side guide that comes into contact with an end portion of the sheet in a first horizontal direction that is substantially orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the sheet placed on the first tray.

  The sheet is placed on the first tray with the side guide disposed at the first position. Thereby, the edge part in a 1st direction contact | abuts a sheet | seat to a side guide. As a result, the sheet is positioned at a predetermined position in the first tray regardless of the sheet size in the width direction. The side guide is moved from the first position to the second position. As a result, the roller is pressed against the cleaning member provided in the side guide, and the roller can be cleaned.

  (7) It is preferable that the cleaning member is longer in the first direction than a contact surface of the cleaning member with the roller.

  By moving the side guide, the position of the contact surface of the cleaning member with the roller is changed. As compared with the case where the length of the cleaning member in the first direction is substantially equal to the length of the contact surface, the cleaning member can be used more repeatedly.

  (8) The side guide substantially matches a center position of the sheet placed on the first tray in the first direction with a reference position of the first tray, and the second position is It may be a position closer to the reference position than the first position corresponding to the minimum size sheet that can be placed on the first tray.

  In a state where the side guide is disposed at the second position, it is not possible to place a sheet on the first tray. For this reason, it is possible to prevent a problem that the roller cannot be cleaned because the sheet is placed on the first tray even though the cleaning member is disposed at the cleaning position.

  (9) The positioning member includes a plate that is in contact with a part of the lower surface of the sheet placed on the first tray, and a recess formed in the plate so as to be recessed from the contact surface of the sheet. The cleaning member may be accommodated in the recess.

  The cleaning member is accommodated in a recess formed in the plate of the positioning member. This prevents paper dust, ink, toner, dust, and the like removed from the roller by the cleaning member from adhering to the sheet placed on the first tray.

  (10) The cleaning member is preferably capable of elastic deformation.

  With the above configuration, when the positioning member is moved from the first position to the second position, the cleaning member comes into close contact with the roller, and as a result, the cleaning effect is increased.

  (11) The image recording apparatus of the present invention is connected to the first conveyance path and the first tray, the second conveyance path through which the sheet conveyed on the first conveyance path is switched back, and the first conveyance path. A second tray from which a sheet conveyed through one conveyance path is discharged; and a path switching unit that sends the sheet conveyed through the first conveyance path to the second tray or the second conveyance path. Good.

  An image is recorded on one surface of the sheet supplied to the first conveyance path by the recording unit during the conveyance process. This sheet is discharged to the second tray by the path switching unit when single-sided recording is set. On the other hand, when double-sided recording is set, the sheet is sent to the second conveyance path by the path switching unit. This sheet is switchback conveyed along the second conveying path and supplied to the first tray. The sheet is retransmitted to the first conveyance path when the roller is driven to rotate. An image is recorded on the other side of the sheet by the recording unit during the conveyance process. The sheet having images recorded on both sides in this way is discharged from the first conveyance path to the second tray by the path switching unit.

  When a sheet on which an image is recorded on one surface is retransmitted to the first conveyance path, a roller is pressed against the recording surface. The recording surface is one surface of the sheet on which ink or toner is adhered by the recording unit. If the sheet is retransmitted to the first conveyance path when the ink or toner is not sufficiently dried, the ink or toner on the sheet may adhere to the roller. The roller is rotationally driven in a state where the positioning member is moved from the first position to the second position. As a result, the roller is cleaned, and ink and toner adhering to the roller are removed from the roller.

  According to the present invention, the roller can be cleaned by moving the positioning member for positioning the sheet with respect to the first tray to the second position. For this reason, the roller can be cleaned with a simple configuration without performing a troublesome operation such as a user installing a cleaning member or removing and storing the cleaning member.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as appropriate. In addition, this embodiment is only an example of this invention and can be suitably changed in the range which does not change the summary of this invention.

[First Embodiment]
First, the configuration and operation of the multifunction machine 10 according to the first embodiment of the image recording apparatus of the present invention will be described.

<Schematic configuration of MFP 10>
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a multifunction machine 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the internal structure of the printer unit 11 of the multifunction machine 10. In FIG. 2, a part of the paper feed tray 20 (an example of the first tray in the present invention) and a paper discharge tray 21 (an example of the second tray in the present invention) are omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the multifunction machine 10 is a multi-function device (MFD) having a printer unit 11 and a scanner unit 12, and has a print function, a scan function, a copy function, and a facsimile function. The image recording apparatus according to the present invention is implemented as the printer unit 11 of the multifunction machine 10. Therefore, functions other than the print function are arbitrary. In the present embodiment, a mode in which the printer unit 11 is an ink jet printer that uses ink for image recording will be described. However, the printer unit 11 may be a laser printer that uses toner for image recording.

  The multifunction machine 10 is mainly connected to an external information device (not shown) such as a computer. The multifunction device 10 records an image on a recording sheet (an example of a sheet in the present invention) based on print data received from an external information device. The multifunction device 10 records an image on a recording sheet based on the image data of the original read by the scanner unit 12. The multifunction machine 10 is connected to a digital camera or the like, and records an image on a recording sheet based on image data output from the digital camera or the like. The multifunction machine 10 is loaded with various storage media such as a memory card, and records an image on a recording sheet based on image data stored in the storage medium.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the multifunction machine 10 is formed in a wide and thin, generally rectangular parallelepiped shape having a width and depth larger than the height. The printer unit 11 has an opening 13 on the front side 36 of the apparatus main body 35. The opening 13 is for the user to take out the recording paper on which an image is recorded and discharged into the cylinder in the opening 13. A paper feed cassette 70 (see FIG. 6) for storing recording paper is disposed in the opening 13. The paper feed cassette 70 is inserted into and removed from the apparatus main body 35 through the opening 13. In FIG. 1, the paper feed cassette 70 is omitted.

  A door 38 (see FIG. 1) is provided at the lower right portion of the front surface 36 of the apparatus main body 35 so as to be freely opened and closed. A cartridge mounting portion 66 is provided inside the door 38. As shown in FIG. 1, when the door 38 is opened, the cartridge mounting portion 66 is exposed to the front surface 36 side of the apparatus main body 35. Thereby, the ink cartridge 68 can be inserted into and removed from the cartridge mounting portion 66. The ink cartridge 68 is connected to the ink jet recording head 41 (see FIG. 3) via an ink tube by being mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 66. The ink jet recording head 41 discharges ink supplied from the ink cartridge 68 and records an image on a recording sheet.

  The upper part of the multifunction machine 10 is a scanner unit 12. The scanner unit 12 includes a flat bed scanner (FBS) and an automatic document feeder (ADF). As shown in FIG. 1, a document cover 30 is provided as a top plate of the multifunction machine 10 so as to be freely opened and closed. The ADF is provided on the document cover 30. Although not shown in the drawing, a platen glass and an image sensor are provided below the document cover 30. In the scanner unit 12, an image of a document placed on the platen glass or a document conveyed by the ADF is read by an image sensor.

  An operation panel 14 is provided in the upper front portion of the multifunction machine 10. The operation panel 14 includes a liquid crystal display for displaying various information, an input key for the user to input information, and the like. In FIG. 1, a liquid crystal display, input keys, and the like are omitted. The multi-function device 10 operates based on an operation input from the operation panel 14 or information transmitted from an external information device.

<Printer unit 11>
The configuration of the printer unit 11 will be described in detail below.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an opening 13 is provided in the center of the front surface 36 of the printer unit 11. The paper feed cassette 70 (see FIG. 6) is provided to be able to be inserted into and removed from the apparatus main body 35 through the opening 13. That is, the paper feed cassette 70 can be inserted into the apparatus main body 35 in the transport direction 90 and can be pulled out from the apparatus main body 35 in the pull-out direction 92. The paper feed cassette 70 has a paper feed tray 20 and a paper discharge tray 21 (see FIG. 6). A recording sheet used for image recording is placed on the sheet feeding tray 20. A recording sheet on which an image is recorded is discharged to the discharge tray 21. The transport direction 90 is a direction in which the recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20 is supplied to the first transport path 22 (an example of the first transport path in the present invention). The drawing direction 92 is a direction in which the paper feed tray 20 is drawn from the apparatus main body 35.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the printer unit 11 includes a paper feed tray 20, a paper feed roller 25 (an example of a roller in the present invention), an arm 26, and a power transmission mechanism 27. In FIG. 2, a part of the paper feed tray 20 and the paper discharge tray 21 are omitted.

  FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the main part of the printer unit 11.

<Feeding roller 25>
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a paper feed roller 25 is disposed above the paper feed tray 20. The paper feed roller 25 supplies recording paper on the paper feed tray 20 to the first transport path 22. An arm 26 is provided above the paper feed tray 20. The paper feed roller 25 is rotatably provided on the tip side of the arm 26. The paper feed roller 25 is rotated by being transmitted through a power transmission mechanism 27 using a motor (not shown) as a drive source. The power transmission mechanism 27 has a plurality of gears and is configured by meshing them in series.

<Arm 26>
The arm 26 is supported by the base shaft 28. The base end portion of the arm 26 is supported by the base shaft 28. As a result, the arm 26 can rotate in a direction in which the arm 26 contacts and separates from the paper feed tray 20 around the base shaft 28. Accordingly, the paper feed roller 25 is configured to be movable in a direction in which it is in contact with or separated from the paper feed tray 20. The arm 26 is biased to rotate downward by being biased by the weight of the arm 26 and the paper feed roller 25 or a spring.

  As the arm 26 is urged to rotate downward, the paper feed roller 25 is pressed against the recording paper on the paper feed tray 20. When the paper feeding roller 25 is rotated in this state, the uppermost recording paper in the paper feeding tray 20 is directed toward the inclined plate 32 by the frictional force generated between the roller surface of the paper feeding roller 25 and the recording paper. Sent out. When the leading edge of the recording sheet comes into contact with the inclined plate 32, one of the uppermost positions of the bundle of recording sheets is rolled and guided upward. In this way, the recording paper is supplied one by one from the paper feed tray 20 to the first transport path 22.

  Note that the paper feed roller 25 does not necessarily need to be supported by the arm 26 as long as it can move in a direction in which the paper feed tray 20 moves toward and away from the paper feed tray 20. The paper feed roller 25 may be supported by a frame that can move up and down with respect to the paper feed tray 20, for example.

<First transport path 22>
A first transport path 22 is provided above the inclined plate 32. The first conveyance path 22 is bent in a U-shaped sideways toward the front side 36 (the right side in FIG. 2) after going upward from the inclined plate 32. The first conveyance path 22 extends from the rear side (left side in FIG. 2) of the multifunction machine 10 to the front side 36, and passes through the recording unit 24 (an example of the recording unit in the present invention) to the discharge tray 21 (see FIG. 6). Leads to That is, the paper discharge tray 21 is disposed on the downstream side of the first conveyance path 22 in the conveyance direction of the recording paper. The recording paper supplied from the paper feed tray 20 is transported along the first transport path 22. The recording sheet is guided to make a U-turn from the lower side to the upper side along the first conveyance path 22 to reach the recording unit 24, and after the image is recorded by the recording unit 24, the recording sheet is discharged to the paper discharge tray 21.

  The first conveyance path 22 is defined by an outer guide surface and an inner guide surface, except for a portion where the recording unit 24 and the like are disposed. For example, the curved portion of the first conveyance path 22 on the back side of the multifunction machine 10 is configured by arranging the outer guide member 18 and the inner guide member 19 to face each other at a predetermined interval. In this case, the outer guide member 18 constitutes a curved outer guide surface, and the inner guide member 19 constitutes a curved inner guide surface.

<Recording unit 24>
As shown in FIG. 3, the recording unit 24 is disposed in the middle of the first conveyance path 22 extending from the back side of the multifunction machine 10 to the front side 36. The recording unit 24 records an image on the recording paper during the recording paper transporting process in the first transport path 22. The recording unit 24 includes a carriage 40, an inkjet recording head 41, and a platen 42. The ink jet recording head 41 is mounted on the carriage 40. The carriage 40 is reciprocally moved along the guide rails 43 and 44 in the width direction of the recording paper (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 3). Although not shown in FIG. 3, the guide rail 44 is provided with a belt drive mechanism using a motor as a drive source. Such a belt drive mechanism is well known. For example, a drive pulley and a driven pulley are provided near both ends of the guide rail 44 in the width direction, and an endless annular drive belt is wound around the drive pulley and the driven pulley. Become. By connecting the carriage 40 to the drive belt of the belt drive mechanism, the drive of the motor is transmitted to the carriage 40 via the belt drive mechanism, and the carriage 40 reciprocates.

  A platen 42 facing the ink jet recording head 41 is provided in the first transport path 22. The platen 42 supports the recording paper conveyed through the first conveyance path 22 from below. A recording sheet is supported by the platen 42 with a predetermined head gap from the inkjet recording head 41. An ink cartridge 68 is disposed inside the multifunction device 10 independently of the ink jet recording head 41 (see FIG. 1). Each color ink accommodated in the ink cartridge 68 is supplied to the inkjet recording head 41 through an ink tube. While the carriage 40 is reciprocated, each color ink is selectively ejected from the inkjet recording head 41 toward the platen 42 as fine ink droplets. An image is recorded on the recording sheet conveyed on the platen 42 by the recording unit 24 during the conveyance process.

<Second transport path 23>
As shown in FIG. 3, the second transport path 23 (an example of the second transport path in the present invention) is connected to the first transport path 22 and the paper feed tray 20. Specifically, one end side of the second conveyance path 23 is connected to the downstream side (downstream part 45) of the recording unit 24 in the first conveyance path 22. Further, the other end side of the second transport path 23 is connected to the upstream side (the right side in FIG. 3) of the paper feed tray 20 from the paper feed roller 25. The paper feed tray 20 is connected to the first transport path 22 via an inclined plate 32 on the downstream side (left side in FIG. 3) from the paper feed roller 25. For this reason, the second transport path 23 is connected to the upstream side (upstream part 46) of the recording unit 24 in the first transport path 22 via the paper feed tray 20. The second transport path 23 guides the recording paper 65 on which one image (recording surface 64: see FIGS. 4 and 5) is recorded and transported in a switchback manner onto the paper feed tray 20. In other words, the recording paper 65 conveyed through the first conveyance path 22 is switched back and conveyed.

  The second transport path 23 is defined by a pair of an upper guide member 47 and a lower guide member 48 that face each other at a predetermined interval. The upper guide member 47 and the lower guide member 48 extend obliquely downward from the downstream portion 45 of the first transport path 22 toward the upstream side of the paper feed roller 25.

<Conveyor 15>
The transport unit 15 transports the recording paper along the first transport path 22 and the second transport path 23. The transport unit 15 includes the above-described paper feed roller 25, transport roller 50, paper discharge roller 51, and path switching unit 72 (an example of a path switching unit in the present invention).

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a conveyance roller 50 is provided on the upstream side of the recording unit 24 in the first conveyance path 22. A pinch roller (not shown) that is in pressure contact with the conveyance roller 50 is provided below the conveyance roller 50. The transport roller 50 is provided across the width direction of the first transport path 22 (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 3). A plurality of pinch rollers are provided at predetermined intervals in the width direction of the first conveyance path 22. The recording sheet conveyed through the first conveying path 22 is nipped and conveyed onto the platen 42 by the conveying roller 50 and the pinch roller.

  A paper discharge roller 51 and a spur 52 are provided downstream of the recording unit 24 in the first conveyance path 22. The spur 52 is provided on the upper side of the paper discharge roller 51 and is in pressure contact with the paper discharge roller 51. The paper discharge roller 51 is provided across the width direction of the first transport path 22. A plurality of spurs 52 are provided at predetermined intervals in the width direction of the first conveyance path 22. The recording paper on which the image is recorded is sandwiched between the paper discharge roller 51 and the spur 52 and is transported to the downstream portion 45 of the first transport path 22.

  The transport roller 50 and the paper discharge roller 51 are driven using a motor (not shown) as a drive source. The driving of the transport roller 50 and the paper discharge roller 51 is synchronized, and is intermittently driven during image recording, and continuously driven before and after image recording. As a result, the recording sheet is conveyed at a predetermined speed through the first conveyance path 22 until reaching the recording unit 24, and is intermittently conveyed at a predetermined line feed width when reaching the recording unit 24. While the recording paper is intermittently conveyed, the carriage 40 is reciprocated, and an image is recorded at a predetermined position on the recording paper by the ink jet recording head 41.

<Route switching unit 72>
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a path switching unit 72 is provided in the downstream portion 45 in the first transport path 22. The path switching unit 72 sends the recording paper conveyed through the first conveyance path 22 to the paper discharge tray 21 or the second conveyance path 23. The path switching unit 72 includes a switchback roller 53, a spur 54, a frame 55, and a spur 56.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a switchback roller 53 and a spur 54 are provided immediately downstream of the downstream portion 45 in the first transport path 22. The spur 54 is provided above the switchback roller 53 and is in pressure contact with the switchback roller 53. The switchback roller 53 is provided across the width direction of the first conveyance path 22. A plurality of spurs 54 are arranged at predetermined intervals in the width direction of the first conveyance path 22. The recording paper conveyed through the first conveyance path 22 is discharged to the paper discharge tray 21 by the switchback roller 53 and the spur 54. Further, the recording paper conveyed through the first conveyance path 22 is switched back and conveyed along the second conveyance path 23 by the switchback roller 53 and the spur 54.

  The switchback roller 53 is driven using a motor (not shown) as a drive source. The switchback roller 53 can rotate in both forward and reverse directions. The rotation direction of the switchback roller 53 is controlled by forward / reverse rotation of the motor. In the drive transmission process from the motor to the switchback roller 53, the rotation of the motor in a certain direction may be transmitted as the bidirectional rotation of the switchback roller 53 by switching the gear train. Although “forward rotation” and “reverse rotation” of the switchback roller 53 are relative, in this embodiment, rotation for feeding the recording paper to the discharge tray 21 side is referred to as “forward rotation”. The rotation sent to the second conveyance path 23 is referred to as “reverse rotation”.

  The spur 54 is supported by the frame 55 and is slidable with respect to the switchback roller 53. Although not shown in detail in FIGS. 2 and 3, the spur 54 is always in pressure contact with the switchback roller 53 with its rotating shaft elastically biased by a coil spring. Therefore, when the switchback roller 53 is rotated, the spur 54 is also rotated following the rotation. The elastic biasing force applied to the spur 54 by the coil spring is the nip force of the recording paper by the switchback roller 53 and the spur 54. Since the switchback roller 53 and the spur 54 sandwich the recording sheet immediately after image recording, the nip force by these is set to be relatively weak. Therefore, when an external force is applied to the recording paper while being sandwiched between the switchback roller 53 and the spur 54, the nip force is lost to the rigidity (waist) of the recording paper, and the orientation of the recording paper is easily changed. That is, when an external force is applied to the recording paper, the recording paper can slide with respect to the switchback roller 53 and the spur 54.

  FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the path switching unit 72 and shows a state in which the frame 55 is maintained in a horizontal posture. FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the path switching unit 72 and shows a state in which the frame 55 is maintained in a rotating posture.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the path switching unit 72 includes a frame 55 and a spur 56. The switchback roller 53 described above is rotatably supported on the frame 55. The frame 55 extends from the switchback roller 53 to the upstream side in the conveyance direction (the left side in FIGS. 4 and 5) and reaches the downstream portion 45. A spur 56 is rotatably supported on the extended end of the frame 55, and the spur 56 is disposed in the downstream portion 45. The frame 55 extends in the width direction of the first conveyance path 22 (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIGS. 4 and 5). A plurality of spurs 56 are arranged at predetermined intervals in the width direction of the first conveyance path 22.

  The frame 55 is configured to be rotatable on the extending end side (the left side in FIGS. 4 and 5) around the rotation axis of the switchback roller 53. The driving force of the motor is transmitted to the frame 55, and the posture is changed to a predetermined rotational position. This rotational position is a horizontal posture and a rotational posture described later. The spur 54 supported on the base end side of the frame 55 and the spur 56 supported on the extended end of the frame 55 are rotated around the rotation axis of the switchback roller 53 together with the frame 55.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the frame 55 maintained in the horizontal posture extends from the switchback roller 53 in the horizontal direction. In a horizontal posture, a tangent line 57 of the spur 56 passing through the nip position between the switchback roller 53 and the spur 54 is a straight line connecting the nip position by the conveying roller 50 and the pinch roller and the nip position by the paper discharge roller 51 and the spur 52. Matches. That is, the recording sheet 65 is nipped by the conveying roller 50 and the pinch roller, the discharge roller 51 and the spur 52, and is conveyed along the tangent line 57. The recording sheet 65 conveyed along the tangent line 57 passes through the lowermost portion of the spur 56 and is sandwiched between the switchback roller 53 and the spur 54. That is, the recording paper 65 is guided to the paper discharge tray 21 side by the horizontal frame 55.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the frame 55 maintained in the rotating posture extends its extending end obliquely downward from the switchback roller 53. By changing the posture of the frame 55 from the horizontal posture to the turning posture, the spurs 54 and 56 are rotated around the rotation axis of the switchback roller 53 together with the frame 55. The rear end 62 of the recording paper 65 is guided in the direction of the tangent 59 by a spur 56. Here, the tangent line 59 is a tangent line of the spur 56 passing through the nip position between the switchback roller 53 and the spur 54. The recording paper 65 is guided in a direction in which the recording paper 65 can pass through the second conveyance path 23 by the frame 55 in the rotating posture. The recording paper 65 is switchback transported along the second transport path 23 by the switchback roller 53 and the spur 54.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a spur 60 is provided downstream of the switchback roller 53 and the spur 54 in the transport direction (the right side in FIGS. 4 and 5). A plurality of spurs 60 are provided at predetermined intervals in the width direction of the first conveyance path 22. The spur 60 is disposed at a position where the lowermost portion is above the lowermost portion of the spur 54. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 4, the recording paper 65 conveyed along the tangent line 57 by the horizontal frame 55 does not contact the spur 60.

  The recording paper 65 is conveyed in a switchback manner along the tangent line 59 by the switchback roller 53 with the frame 55 maintained in a rotating posture. Due to its rigidity, the recording paper 65 tends to lift the portion on the paper discharge tray 21 side (the right side in FIGS. 4 and 5) from the holding position by the switchback roller 53 and the spur 54 upward along the tangent line 59. . In this case, as shown in FIG. 5, the spur 60 contacts the portion of the recording paper 65. The recording sheet 65 is bent by contacting the spur 60 and wound around the switchback roller 53. As a result, the rigidity of the recording paper 65 acts as a pressing force against the switchback roller 53.

<Paper cassette 70>
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the paper feed cassette 70. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the paper feed tray 20.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the paper feed cassette 70 is formed in a thin rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole, and includes a paper feed tray 20 and a paper discharge tray 21. The paper feed tray 20 and the paper discharge tray 21 are arranged in two upper and lower stages with the paper discharge tray 21 as the upper side of the paper feed tray 20. The paper feed cassette 70 is inserted into and removed from the apparatus main body 35 through the opening 13. The paper feed tray 20 and the paper discharge tray 21 are integrally configured as a paper feed cassette 70. For this reason, the paper discharge tray 21 is also inserted and removed together with the insertion and removal of the paper feed tray 20 with respect to the apparatus main body 35.

  A paper feed cassette 70 is attached to the apparatus main body 35. As a result, the paper feed tray 20 is disposed below the arm 26 and the paper feed roller 25 (see FIG. 6). The base shaft 28 of the arm 26 is rotatably provided on a frame (not shown) in the apparatus main body 35 so that the axial direction thereof is the first direction 94 (corresponding to the first direction in the present invention). Here, the first direction 94 is a horizontal direction substantially perpendicular to the conveyance direction 90 of the recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20. The base shaft 28 is rotated around the axial direction using a motor (not shown) as a drive source. The rotation of the base shaft 28 is transmitted to the paper feed roller 25 through the power transmission mechanism 27, and the paper feed roller 25 is rotationally driven. The base shaft 28 is provided with a large number of ribs extending in the radial direction and the axial direction. As a result, the base shaft 28 has high torsional rigidity and bending rigidity. As shown in FIG. 7, the paper feed tray 20 is provided with a friction member 104 described later at the center in the width direction (first direction 94). The paper feed cassette 70 is attached to the apparatus main body 35 with no recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20. In this case, the arm 26 rotates toward the paper feed tray 20 and the paper feed roller 25 is brought into contact with the friction member 104.

<Discharge tray 21>
The paper discharge tray 21 is configured to be rotatable upward with respect to the paper feed tray 20 with the width direction (first direction 94) of the paper feed cassette 70 as an axial direction. By raising the paper discharge tray 21 with respect to the paper feed tray 20, the upper surface of the paper feed tray 20 is opened. In other words, the recording paper can be replenished to the paper feed tray 20. When the paper discharge tray 21 is laid down with respect to the paper feed tray 20, the upper surface of the paper feed tray 20 is covered with the paper discharge tray 21. As will be described later, the paper feed tray 20 is provided with an extension tray 114 (see FIG. 7) that can slide in the transport direction 90 and the pull-out direction 92 with respect to the tray body 102. When the paper discharge tray 21 is laid down with respect to the paper feed tray 20, the rear end portion 75 of the paper discharge tray 21 is supported from below by the rear end portion 78 of the expansion tray 114, and the side wall 106 of the paper discharge tray 21 is fed. It is supported on the side wall 123 of the paper tray 20 from below. In this state, the paper discharge tray 21 holds a recording sheet on which an image is recorded and functions as a lid of the paper feed tray 20. This prevents paper dust and dust from entering the paper feed tray 20. As shown in FIG. 6, the upper side on the back side of the paper feed tray 20 is open because the paper feed roller 25 and the arm 26 are arranged.

<Paper Tray 20>
As shown in FIG. 7, the paper feed tray 20 is generally formed in a rectangular dish shape that is long in the transport direction 90 and the pull-out direction 92 in plan view. The paper feed tray 20 includes a tray main body 102 and an expansion tray 114. The sheet feeding tray 20 is configured such that the expansion tray 114 can slide in the transport direction 90 and the drawing direction 92 with respect to the tray body 102. FIG. 7 shows a state where the extension tray 114 is pushed in the transport direction 90 with respect to the tray main body 102. Here, the transport direction 90 is a direction in which the recording paper on the paper feed tray 20 is supplied to the first transport path 22. The transport direction 90 is substantially the same as the direction in which the paper feed tray 20 is pushed into the opening 13 (see FIG. 1) of the apparatus main body 35. The drawing direction 92 is a direction in which the paper feed tray 20 is drawn from the apparatus main body 35.

  The expansion tray 114 is slid in the transport direction 90 or the pull-out direction 92 with respect to the tray body 102 as necessary. Thereby, the sheet stacking surface of the paper feed tray 20 is expanded or reduced, and recording papers of various sizes can be stored in the paper feed tray 20. In the present embodiment, recording papers of various sizes specified by Japanese Industrial Standards are placed on the paper feed tray 20. Examples of the various sizes include A4 size, B5 size, A5 size, postcard size, and photograph L size. Therefore, in this embodiment, the maximum size of the recording paper that can be placed on the paper feed tray 20 is A4 size, and the minimum size of the recording paper that can be placed on the paper feed tray 20 is the photo L size. However, the maximum size and the minimum size of the recording paper that can be placed on the paper feed tray 20 are not limited to this. For example, the paper feed tray 20 may be capable of placing recording paper of various sizes from a photo L size to an A3 size.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the tray body 102 is formed in a rectangular shape that is long in the transport direction 90 and the pull-out direction 92. The tray body 102 has a bottom plate 84. The recording sheet is placed on the bottom plate 84. The inclined plate 32 described above is provided at the tip 74 of the tray body 102. The inclined plate 32 is a plate-like member that is long in the width direction of the tray body 102 (first direction 94). The inclined plate 32 is tilted toward the back side of the apparatus (the conveyance direction 90 side). Therefore, when the leading edge of the recording sheet comes into contact with the inclined plate 32, the leading edge is guided obliquely upward along the inner surface 77 of the inclined plate 32. That is, the inner side surface 77 serves as a guide surface for guiding the recording paper to the first transport path 22 (see FIG. 3).

  As shown in FIG. 7, a friction member 104 is provided at the center of the tray body 102 in the first direction 94. The two paper feed rollers 25 (see FIG. 6) are moved to the paper feed tray 20 side when the arm 26 is rotated. As a result, the paper feed roller 25 is disposed immediately above the friction member 104. The friction member 104 is made of, for example, cork or rubber having a high friction coefficient with the recording paper. When the paper feed tray 20 on which the recording paper is placed is mounted on the apparatus main body 35, the paper feed roller 25 is pressed against the recording paper on the paper feed tray 20. As a result, the recording paper is sandwiched between the friction member 104 and the paper feed roller 25. Of the plurality of recording sheets sandwiched between the friction member 104 and the sheet feeding roller 25, a frictional force in the transport direction 90 is applied from the sheet feeding roller 25 to the upper layer recording sheet. On the other hand, a frictional force in the pulling direction 92 from the friction member 104 is applied from the paper feed roller 25 to the lower layer recording paper. In the present embodiment, the form in which the two paper feed rollers 25 are supported by the arm 26 will be described. However, the number of the paper feed rollers 25 may be one.

  The bottom plate 84 is provided with a pair of guide grooves 86 and 87 along the width direction (first direction 94) of the bottom plate 84 (see FIG. 7). The guide grooves 86 and 87 have a rectangular shape that is long in the first direction 94 and are formed in a shape that penetrates the bottom plate 64 from the front surface to the back surface. A guide groove 86 is provided on the left side when the sheet feeding tray 20 is viewed from the upstream side in the conveyance direction 90, and a guide groove 87 is provided on the right side. The guide groove 86 and the guide groove 87 are separated in the first direction 94.

  As shown in FIG. 7, a pinion gear 82 is provided at the center position in the width direction of the bottom plate 84. The pinion gear 82 is provided at an intermediate position between the guide groove 86 and the guide groove 87. The pinion gear 82 meshes with rack gears 88 and 89 described later on the back surface of the bottom plate 84.

<Side guides 80 and 81>
As shown in FIG. 7, the tray main body 102 is provided with a pair of side guides 80 and 81. The side guide 80 is disposed on the left side when the tray body 102 is viewed from the upstream side in the transport direction 90. The side guide 81 (an example of a positioning member in the present invention, which corresponds to the side guide in the present invention) is disposed on the right side when the tray body 102 is viewed from the upstream side in the transport direction 90. The side guides 80 and 81 are made of synthetic resin such as ABS resin. The side guides 80 and 81 are formed in a substantially L-shaped longitudinal section in the first direction 94. The side guides 80 and 81 are configured to be movable in the paper feed tray 20. Specifically, the side guides 80 and 81 are provided to be slidable in the width direction (first direction 94) of the tray main body 102. The side guide 80 is supported by the bottom plate 84 so as to be slidable along the guide groove 86. The side guide 81 is supported by the bottom plate 84 so as to be slidable along the guide groove 87.

  The side guides 80 and 81 are for positioning the recording paper with respect to the paper feed tray 20. The side guides 80 and 81 are in contact with the end portions in the first direction 94 of the recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20. As a result, the position in the width direction of the recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20 is regulated by the side guides 80 and 81. The side guides 80 and 81 have a central position in the width direction (first direction 94) of the recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20 as a reference position of the paper feed tray 20 (in this embodiment, the width direction of the paper feed tray 20). Approximately in the middle). In this manner, restricting the recording sheet so that the center position in the width direction of the recording sheet coincides with the reference position is generally called a center register. The recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20 is guided in the transport direction 90 by the side guides 80 and 81 and supplied to the first transport path 22.

  The tray body 102 is provided with side walls 122 and 123 at both ends in the width direction of the tray body 102. The side walls 122 and 123 stand vertically upward from the bottom plate 84 of the tray main body 102. FIG. 7 shows a state where the vertical wall 128 of the side guide 80 is in contact with the side wall 122 and the vertical wall 118 of the side guide 81 is in contact with the side wall 123. In this state, A4 size recording paper is placed on the paper feed tray 20. The side guide 80 is slid in a first direction 94 in which the vertical wall 128 is separated from the side wall 122. The side guide 81 is slid in a first direction 94 in which the vertical wall 118 is separated from the side wall 123. As a result, when a recording sheet of, for example, a photographic L size is placed on the sheet feeding tray 20, the recording sheet is positioned approximately at the center of the tray body 102 in the first direction 94.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the side guide 81 includes a bottom wall 117 and a vertical wall 118. The bottom wall 117 is disposed in parallel to the bottom plate 84 of the tray main body 102. One end of the recording sheet in the width direction is placed on the bottom wall 117. The vertical wall 118 is erected vertically from the outer edge in the width direction of the bottom wall 117. Although not shown in the drawing, the recording sheet is placed on the bottom wall 117, and one end in the width direction is brought into contact with the inner surface of the vertical wall 118. As described above, the end portion of the recording sheet in the first direction 94 is brought into contact with the side guide 81.

  A lever 99 is provided on the vertical wall 118. The lever 99 is formed integrally with the side guide 81 and is made of the same resin. A plurality of slits 95 are formed on the surface of the bottom plate 84. Each slit 95 is formed such that its longitudinal direction coincides with the transport direction 90. These slits 95 are arranged in the first direction. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, two slit groups each including a plurality of slits 95 are formed. Although not shown in the figure, the lever 99 is provided with two claws at positions corresponding to the two slit groups. The side guide 81 is fixed to the bottom plate 84 by inserting these claws into one of the slits 95 of the two slit groups. When the user operates the lever 99, the nail is lifted. As a result, the claw is extracted from the slit 95, the fixation of the side guide 81 is released, and the side guide 81 can be slid.

  The side guide 81 is provided with a rack gear 89 extending from the bottom wall 117 to the center in the width direction. The rack gear 89 is disposed on the back surface side of the bottom plate 84 through the guide groove 87 and is meshed with the pinion gear 82 described above.

  The side guide 80 is formed in a substantially symmetric shape with the side guide 81 except that the side guide 80 does not have a lever 99 and a plate 136 (an example of a plate in the present invention) described later. Similar to the side guide 81, the side guide 80 has a bottom wall 127 and a vertical wall 128. The other end of the recording sheet in the width direction is placed on the bottom wall 127. The vertical wall 128 is erected vertically from the outer edge of the bottom wall 127 in the width direction. Although not shown in the drawing, the recording sheet is placed on the bottom wall 127, and the other end in the width direction is brought into contact with the inner surface of the vertical wall 128.

  The side guide 80 is provided with a rack gear 88 configured substantially the same as the rack gear 89. The rack gear 88 is disposed on the back surface side of the bottom plate 84 via the guide groove 86 and meshes with the pinion gear 82 described above.

  One of the side guides 80 and 81 is slid in the first direction 94. In conjunction with this, the other of the side guides 80 and 81 is slid in the opposite direction. Accordingly, when the width of the recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20 is shorter than the separation distance between the side guides 80 and 81, the side guides 80 and 81 are simultaneously moved by sliding one of the side guides 80 and 81. Moved. As a result, the central position in the width direction of the recording paper substantially matches the reference position.

  Note that only one of the side guides 80 and 81 may be slidable. For example, a so-called side register in which the side guide 81 is slid with respect to the side guide 80 fixed at the position shown in FIG. 9 may be employed. The reference position of the paper feed tray 20 at which the center of the recording paper in the first direction 94 is substantially matched changes according to the size of the recording paper.

<Rear guide 120>
A rear guide 120 is provided in the center of the tray body 102 in the first direction 94. The rear guide 120 is for positioning the recording paper with respect to the paper feed tray 20. The rear guide 120 is brought into contact with an upstream end portion in the transport direction 90 of the recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20. Therefore, the rear guide 120 restricts the recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20 from moving in the drawing direction 92 with respect to the paper feed tray 20.

  The rear guide 120 is configured to be movable in the paper feed tray 20. Specifically, the rear guide 120 is configured to be slidable in the transport direction 90 and the drawing direction 92 with respect to the paper feed tray 20. The bottom plate 84 is formed with a long groove 97 in the transport direction 90 and the drawing direction 92. The groove 97 extends from the vicinity of the center of the tray body 102 in the longitudinal direction to the rear end. The rear guide 120 is provided on the tray main body 102 so as to be slidable along the groove 97.

  A plurality of slits 85 are formed on both sides of the groove 97 in the first direction 94. Each slit 85 coincides with the direction in which the longitudinal direction is orthogonal to the groove 97. Although not shown in the drawing, the rear guide 120 is provided with two claws that are inserted into and removed from the slits 85 on both sides of the groove 97. The rear guide 120 is provided with a lever 79 formed integrally with the rear guide 120. The lever 79 is formed integrally with the rear guide 120 and is made of the same resin. The rear guide 120 is fixed to the bottom plate 84 by inserting the claws of the rear guide 120 into any of the slits 85. When the user operates the lever 79, the claw of the rear guide 120 is lifted. As a result, the pawl is extracted from the slit 85, the rear guide 120 is released, and the rear guide 120 can be slid.

  With the recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20, the rear guide 120 is slid along the groove 97 in the transport direction 90. As a result, the rear guide 120 contacts the trailing edge of the recording paper. As a result, the upstream end in the recording sheet conveyance direction 90 is aligned, and the end is restricted to a position corresponding to the size of the recording sheet. The downstream end of the recording sheet in the transport direction 90 is substantially coincident with a predetermined position close to the inclined plate 32 in the sheet feeding tray 20 regardless of the size of the recording sheet.

  FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a portion VIII in FIG. FIG. 9 is a plan view of the tray main body 102 and shows a state in which the side guides 80 and 81 are arranged at the first position for holding the maximum size recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which the side guide 81 is slid to the center of the tray main body 102 in the first direction 94. In FIG. 9, a part of the tray body 102 on the side of the drawing direction 92 and the rear guide 120 are omitted.

<Plate 136>
As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, in the side guide 81, a plate 136 (an example of a plate in the present invention) extends from the bottom wall 117 toward the center of the tray body 102 in the first direction 94. The plate 136 is a flat plate member having the first direction 94 as a longitudinal direction, and is provided in parallel with the bottom wall 117. The plate 136 is provided at substantially the same position as the friction member 104 in the transport direction 90 (see FIGS. 7 and 9). The recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20 is placed on the bottom wall 117 and the plate 136 at the end on the side wall 123 side. That is, the plate 136 is brought into contact with a part of the lower surface of the recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20. The end of the recording paper on the side wall 123 side is supported by the bottom wall 117 and the plate 136 from below.

<Recesses 141, 142>
As shown in FIG. 8, recesses 141 and 142 (an example of a recess in the present invention) are formed on the upper surface side of the plate 136. The concave portions 141 and 142 are formed in the plate 136 so as to be recessed downward from the contact surface 138 (see FIGS. 8 and 9) of the plate 136 with the recording paper (see FIG. 10). Cleaning members 131 and 132 (an example of the cleaning member in the present invention) described later are accommodated in the recesses 141 and 142, respectively.

  As will be described later, when the side guide 81 is slid toward the center of the tray main body 102 in the first direction 94, the cleaning member 131 or the cleaning member 132 is disposed directly below the two paper feed rollers 25 (FIG. 10 ( C) and (D)). The recess 141 is formed in such a size that a part of the roller surfaces of the two paper feed rollers 25 can enter the recess 141 and can be pressed against the cleaning member 131. The concave portion 142 is formed in a size that allows a part of the roller surfaces of the two paper feed rollers 25 to enter the concave portion 142 and press-contact with the cleaning member 132. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10A, the width L1 of the recesses 141 and 142 in the first direction 94 is set wider than the axial length H1 of the two paper feed rollers 25. Although not shown in the drawing, the widths of the concave portions 141 and 142 in the transport direction 90 are set to a width that allows at least a part of the roller surface of the paper feeding roller 25 to enter the concave portion 141 or the concave portion 142. ing.

<Cleaning members 131 and 132>
As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the side guide 81 is provided with two cleaning members 131 and 132. In the present embodiment, the cleaning members 131 and 132 are accommodated in the recesses 141 and 142, respectively (see FIG. 10A). The cleaning members 131 and 132 are for cleaning the two paper feed rollers 25. Here, the cleaning is an operation of rotating the paper feed roller 25 while the cleaning member 131 or the cleaning member 132 is in contact with the paper feed roller 25. As a result, paper dust, ink, dust or the like attached to the paper feed roller 25 is removed from the paper feed roller 25 by the cleaning member 131 or the cleaning member 132. When the printer unit 11 is a laser printer instead of an ink jet printer, the operation of removing the toner attached to the paper feed roller 25 is also included in the cleaning of the present invention. As the cleaning members 131 and 132 used for this removal operation, those capable of elastic deformation are preferably used. Examples of the cleaning members 131 and 132 include rubber, brush, felt, and the like. However, the cleaning members 131 and 132 may be appropriately changed in consideration of the material of the roller surface of the paper feed roller 25.

  The cleaning members 131 and 132 are configured to have a size that can be accommodated in the recesses 141 and 142. For this reason, the cleaning member 131 is accommodated in the recess 141 so as not to be exposed above the contact surface 138. Further, the cleaning member 132 is accommodated in the recess 142 so as not to be exposed above the contact surface 138. For this reason, when the recording paper is placed on the paper feed tray 20, that is, when the recording paper comes into contact with the contact surface 138, the recording paper and the cleaning members 131 and 132 may come into contact with each other. Absent. This prevents paper dust, ink, dust, etc. removed by the cleaning members 131 and 132 from the paper feed roller 25 from adhering to the recording paper.

  Next, the positional relationship between the paper feed roller 25 and the cleaning members 131 and 132 that accompany the slide of the side guide 81 will be described.

  FIG. 11 is a plan view of the tray main body 102 and shows a state in which the side guides 80 and 81 are arranged at the first position for holding the minimum size recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20. FIG. 12 is a plan view of the tray main body 102 and shows a state in which the paper feed roller 25 is disposed at the second position where it is pressed against the cleaning member 131. FIG. 13 is a plan view of the tray main body 102 and shows a state in which the paper feed roller 25 is disposed at the second position where it is pressed against the cleaning member 132. 11 to 13, a part of the tray main body 102 on the side of the drawing direction 92 and the rear guide 120 are omitted.

  The side guides 80 and 81 are configured to be slidable in the first direction 94 within the paper feed tray 20. The side guide 81 is provided with the cleaning members 131 and 132 on the plate 136 as described above. The side guide 81 is moved between the first position and the second position by sliding in the first direction 94. The first position (see FIGS. 9 and 11) is a position where the side guide 81 holds the recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20 together with the side guide 80 at a reference position according to the size. The first position in the present embodiment is a position where the side guides 80 and 81 position the center in the width direction of the recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20 to the approximate center of the tray main body 102 in the first direction 94. . The first position can take a plurality of positions corresponding to each size of the recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20. In the second position (see FIGS. 12 and 13), the paper feed roller 25 moved to the paper feed tray 20 side with no recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20 is placed on the cleaning member 131 or the cleaning member 132. It is a position to be pressed. In the present embodiment, since the two cleaning members 131 and 132 are provided on the side guide 81, the second position can take two positions.

<First position>
When the recording paper of the maximum size (A4 size in the present embodiment) that can be placed on the paper feed tray 20 is used for image recording, the side guides 80 and 81 are used for the tray main body 102 in the first direction 94 by the user. Slide towards the outside. The side guides 80 and 81 are slid to a position (see FIG. 9) where the vertical wall 128 contacts the side wall 122 and the vertical wall 118 contacts the side wall 123. As a result, the distance between the vertical wall 128 and the vertical wall 118 becomes substantially equal to the width of the A-size recording paper, and the side guide 81 holds the A4-size recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20. It arrange | positions at 1 position (refer FIG.9 and FIG.10 (A)). The A4 size recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20 is brought into contact with the vertical walls 128 and 118 of the side guides 80 and 81 at both ends in the width direction. Although not shown in FIG. 9, the rear guide 120 (see FIG. 7) is slid downstream in the transport direction 90, so that the rear guide 120 comes into contact with the rear end of the A4 size recording sheet. As a result, the A4 size recording paper is positioned at a predetermined reference position corresponding to the A4 size with respect to the paper feed tray 20. The paper feed tray 20 is attached to the apparatus main body 35 with the A4 size recording paper placed thereon in this way.

  When recording paper of a minimum size (photo L size in this embodiment) that can be placed on the paper feed tray 20 is used for image recording, the side guides 80 and 81 are used by the user for the tray main body 102 in the first direction 94. Is slid to a predetermined position (see FIGS. 9 and 11). As a result, the separation distance between the vertical wall 128 and the vertical wall 118 is substantially equal to the width of the photographic L-size recording paper, and the side guide 81 is placed on the paper feed tray 20 for the photographic L-size recording paper. (See FIGS. 11 and 10B). The photographic L size recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20 is brought into contact with the vertical walls 128 and 118 of the side guides 80 and 81 at both ends in the width direction. Although not shown in FIG. 11, the rear guide 120 (see FIG. 7) is slid downstream in the transport direction 90, so that the rear guide 120 is brought into contact with the rear end of the photographic L size recording paper. The As a result, the photographic L size recording paper is positioned at a predetermined reference position corresponding to the photographic L size with respect to the paper feed tray 20. The paper feed tray 20 is attached to the apparatus main body 35 in such a state that the photo L size recording paper is thus placed.

  Note that the first position in the present embodiment is not limited to the position where the side guide 81 holds the recording paper of A4 size or photographic L size placed on the paper feed tray 20. That is, the first position here may be a position where the side guide 81 holds a recording sheet of another size (for example, a postcard size) placed on the sheet feeding tray 20.

<Second position>
The side guides 80 and 81 are slid toward the center of the tray main body 102 in the first direction 94 by the user in a state where no recording paper is placed on the paper feed tray 20. As shown in FIGS. 12 and 10C, the side guides 80 and 81 are disposed at positions where the cleaning member 131 is disposed at the center in the width direction of the tray body 102 (directly above the friction member 104). In this state, the paper feed tray 20 is mounted on the apparatus main body 35 without placing the recording paper. Since no recording paper is placed on the paper feed tray 20, the arm 26 (see FIG. 6) is rotated to the paper feed tray 20 side. As a result, the paper feed roller 25 is in pressure contact with the cleaning member 131 (see FIG. 10C). As described above, after the side guide 81 is slid to the position where the cleaning member 131 is disposed immediately above the friction member 104, the paper feed tray 20 is mounted on the apparatus main body 35. As a result, the side guide 81 is disposed at the second position where the paper feed roller 25 is pressed against the cleaning member 131. In the present embodiment, since the cleaning member 131 is made of rubber, the cleaning member 131 is in close contact with the paper feed roller 25.

  The side guides 80 and 81 are slid toward the center of the tray main body 102 in the first direction 94 by the user in a state where no recording paper is placed on the paper feed tray 20. As shown in FIGS. 13 and 10D, the side guides 80 and 81 are disposed at positions where the cleaning member 132 is disposed at the center in the width direction of the tray main body 102 (directly above the friction member 104). In this state, the paper feed tray 20 is mounted on the apparatus main body 35 without placing the recording paper. Since no recording paper is placed on the paper feed tray 20, the arm 26 (see FIG. 6) is rotated to the paper feed tray 20 side. As a result, the paper feed roller 25 is brought into pressure contact with the cleaning member 132 (see FIG. 10C). As described above, after the side guide 81 is slid to the position where the cleaning member 132 is disposed immediately above the friction member 104, the paper feed tray 20 is mounted on the apparatus main body 35. As a result, the side guide 81 is disposed at the second position where the paper feed roller 25 is pressed against the cleaning member 132. In the present embodiment, since the cleaning member 132 is made of rubber, the cleaning member 132 comes into close contact with the paper feed roller 25.

<Image recording>
On the paper feed tray 20, the recording paper is placed with the side guide 81 placed at the first position. As a result, the recording sheet is positioned with respect to the paper feed tray 20 at a reference position corresponding to the size of the recording sheet. The paper feed tray 20 is attached to the apparatus main body 35 through the opening 13 (see FIG. 1). Since the recording paper is placed on the paper feed tray 20, the paper feed roller 25 is pressed against the recording paper on the paper feed tray 20. When the start of printing is instructed based on a predetermined user operation from the operation panel 14, the paper feed roller 25 is driven to rotate. As a result, the recording paper on the paper feed tray 20 is supplied to the first transport path 22 in the direction of the arrow 17 (see FIG. 3). The recording paper 65 supplied from the paper feed tray 20 to the first conveyance path 22 is conveyed along the first conveyance path 22 by a conveyance roller 50 and a pinch roller, and a paper discharge roller 51 and a spur 52. An image is recorded on one surface (recording surface 64) of the recording paper 65 by the recording unit 24 during the conveyance process.

  When the print setting is set to single-sided recording, the switchback roller 53 is normally rotated while the frame 55 of the path switching unit 72 is maintained in the horizontal posture (see FIG. 4). As a result, the recording paper 65 having an image recorded on the recording surface 64 is discharged from the first transport path 22 to the paper discharge tray 21.

  When the print setting is set to double-sided recording, the switchback roller 53 is normally rotated while the frame 55 is maintained in the horizontal posture. Thereby, the recording paper 65 on which the image is recorded on the recording surface 64 as described above is sent to the discharge tray 21 side (the right side in FIG. 4). Then, when the rear end 62 of the recording sheet 65 reaches the specified position upstream of the spur 56 (the state shown in FIG. 4), the frame 55 is changed in posture from the horizontal posture to the rotating posture (see FIG. 4 and FIG. 5). The rear end 62 of the recording sheet 65 is pressed downward by the spur 56 and directed toward the second transport path 23 (see FIG. 5).

  By reversing the switchback roller 53, the recording sheet 65 is changed in the conveyance direction and is switched back and conveyed along the second conveyance path 23. The recording paper 65 is sent from the second transport path 23 to the paper feed tray 20. Specifically, the recording sheet 65 is sent between the uppermost recording sheet placed on the sheet feeding tray 20 and the sheet feeding roller 25 (hereinafter also referred to as “contact position”). When the rear end 62 of the recording paper 65 reaches the contact position, the paper feed roller 25 is driven to rotate, and the recording paper 65 is sent to the upstream side (upstream portion 46) of the recording unit 24. As a result, the recording paper 65 is reversed. That is, when the recording paper 65 is conveyed onto the platen 42, the surface opposite to the recording surface 64 faces the ink jet recording head 41. When the recording paper 65 passes over the platen 42, an image is recorded on the other surface (the surface opposite to the recording surface 64). When the recording paper 65 is sent from the second conveyance path 23 to the first conveyance path 22, the arm 55 of the path switching unit 72 is changed in posture from the rotation posture to the horizontal posture. The recording paper 65 on which images are recorded on both sides is discharged from the first conveyance path 22 to the paper discharge tray 21 by the normal rotation of the switchback roller 53.

  In the printer unit 11, in order to supply the recording paper from the paper feed tray 20 to the first conveyance path 22, the printer unit 11 is rotationally driven in a state where the paper feed roller 25 is pressed against the recording paper on the paper feed tray 20. For this reason, paper dust and dust on the recording paper adhere to the paper feed roller 25. Further, when double-sided recording is performed in the printer unit 11, the recording paper 65 on which an image is recorded on the recording surface 64 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) is transferred to the recording surface 64 when being retransmitted to the first conveyance path 22. The paper feed roller 25 is pressed. As described above, the recording surface 64 is one surface of the recording paper 65 to which ink is adhered by the recording unit 24. If the recording paper 65 is retransmitted to the first transport path 22 in a state where the ink is not sufficiently dried, the ink on the recording paper 65 may adhere to the paper feed roller 25. In this way, paper dust, dust, ink, and the like adhere to the paper feed roller 25. As a result, a recording paper supply failure from the paper feed tray 20 to the first transport path 22 may occur.

  In the multifunction machine 10 according to the present embodiment, the paper feed roller 25 is cleaned by a simple operation of attaching the paper feed tray 20 to the apparatus main body 35 after the side guide 81 is slid to the center of the tray main body 102 in the first direction 94. Is possible. In the multifunction machine 10, the cleaning roller 131 can be used to clean the paper feed roller 25 when the cleaning member 131 becomes dirty and the cleaning effect decreases.

<Cleaning>
Cleaning of the paper feed roller 25 is performed as follows.

  When the recording paper is not correctly conveyed from the paper feed tray 20 to the first conveyance path 22, the paper feed tray 20 is pulled out from the apparatus main body 35 by the user. The user takes out the recording paper from the paper feed tray 20. The user slides the side guides 80 and 81 so that the cleaning member 131 is disposed immediately above the friction member 104, and then attaches the paper feed tray 20 to the apparatus main body 35. As a result, the paper feed roller 25 is pressed against the cleaning member 131 and the paper feed roller 25 can be cleaned (see FIG. 10C). In this state, when a predetermined operation is performed from the operation panel 14, the paper feed roller 25 is rotationally driven. Since the paper feed roller 25 is rotated while the cleaning member 131 is in close contact, paper dust, ink, dust, and the like adhering to the paper feed roller 25 are removed from the paper feed roller 25 by the cleaning member 131.

  By repeatedly using the cleaning member 131, the cleaning member 131 becomes dirty. For this reason, even if the paper supply roller 25 is cleaned by the cleaning member 131, the recording paper may not be correctly conveyed from the paper supply tray 20 to the first conveyance path 22. The user takes out the recording paper from the paper feed tray 20. The user slides the side guides 80 and 81 so that the cleaning member 132 is disposed immediately above the friction member 104, and then attaches the paper feed tray 20 to the apparatus main body 35. Thus, the paper feed roller 25 is pressed against the cleaning member 132, and the paper feed roller 25 can be cleaned (see FIG. 10D). As a result, similarly to the case where the cleaning member 131 is used, the paper feed roller 25 can be cleaned.

<Operational effects of the first embodiment>
As described above, the paper feed tray 20 is attached to the apparatus main body 35 after the side guide 81 is moved to the second position (the position shown in FIG. 12 or the position shown in FIG. 13) by the user. As a result, the paper feed roller 25 can be cleaned. For this reason, the user can clean the paper feed roller 25 with a simple configuration without performing a troublesome operation such as installing a cleaning member on the paper feed tray 20 or removing and storing it.

  Note that the second position is a reference position (first position) rather than the first position (see FIG. 11) corresponding to the recording paper of the minimum size (photo L size in this embodiment) that can be placed on the paper feed tray 20. This is the position on the side of the tray main body 102 in the direction 94 (see FIGS. 12 and 13). The user cannot place the recording paper on the paper feed tray 20 in the state where the side guides 80 and 81 are arranged at the position shown in FIG. 12 or the position shown in FIG. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the problem that the sheet feeding roller 25 cannot be cleaned even though the cleaning member 131 or the cleaning member 132 is disposed at the cleaning position (directly above the friction member 104).

  The cleaning members 131 and 132 are longer in the first direction 94, which is the sliding direction of the side guide 81, than the contact surfaces of the cleaning members 131 and 132 with the paper feed roller 25. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10A, the lengths L1 + L1 of the cleaning members 131 and 132 in the first direction 94 are longer than the axial length H1 of the two paper feed rollers 25. In the present embodiment, the axial length H1 is set longer than the length L1. For this reason, when the side guide 81 is moved, the position of the contact surface of the cleaning member with the paper feed roller 25 is changed. In the present embodiment, the paper feed roller 25 is brought into contact with the cleaning member 131 or the cleaning member 132. Compared with the case where the length of the cleaning member in the first direction 94 is substantially equal to the length of the contact surface, the cleaning member can be used more repeatedly. As a result, the replacement frequency of the cleaning member can be reduced, and the user's labor is further reduced. In this embodiment, the cleaning member of the present invention is constituted by the two cleaning members 131 and 132, but the number of cleaning members may be one.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the cleaning member 131 is accommodated in the recess 141, and the cleaning member 132 is accommodated in the recess 142. For this reason, paper dust, ink, dust, etc. removed by the cleaning members 131 and 132 from the paper feed roller 25 can be easily prevented from adhering to the recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20. However, the cleaning members 131 and 132 may be provided on the contact surface 138. In this case, it is conceivable that the recording paper in contact with the bottom plate 84 is soiled by the cleaning members 131 and 132. Therefore, it is preferable that a sheet member that covers the cleaning members 131 and 132 is provided in the paper feed tray 20.

  In this embodiment, since the cleaning members 131 and 132 are elastically deformable, when the side guide 81 is moved from the first position to the second position, the cleaning member 131 or the cleaning member 132 is supplied. The paper roller 25 comes into close contact. Accordingly, the cleaning effect is increased as compared with the case where the cleaning members 131 and 132 are made of a material that does not elastically deform. However, the cleaning members 131 and 132 may be made of a material that does not elastically deform. In this case, in order to prevent damage to the surface of the paper feed roller 25, the paper feed roller 25 is preferably configured to be elastically deformable.

  In the present embodiment, the cleaning member in the present invention is provided only in the side guide 81, but the cleaning member may also be provided in the side guide 80. For example, a plate may be extended from the bottom wall 127 toward the center of the tray main body 102, and the cleaning member 132 may be provided on the plate.

[Second Embodiment]
The second embodiment of the present invention will be described below. The multifunction machine 10 according to the second embodiment has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment except that the configuration of the tray body 102 is partially different. For this reason, description of components other than the tray body 102 is omitted. In the first embodiment, the side guide 81 (see FIG. 12) functions as the positioning member of the present invention, whereas in the second embodiment, the rear guide 140 (corresponding to the rear guide in the present invention, see FIG. 14) is the main guide. It functions as a positioning member of the invention.

  FIG. 14 is a schematic view of the tray main body 102 showing a state in which the rear guide 140 is slid in the transport direction 90 with respect to the tray main body 102.

  The tray body 102 in the second embodiment is different from the tray body 102 in the first embodiment in the following points. That is, in this embodiment, the plate 136 is not provided in the side guide 81. Further, a rear guide 140 (see FIG. 14) is provided in the tray body 102 in place of the rear guide 120 (see FIG. 7), and the cleaning member 100 (an example of the cleaning member of the present invention) is provided in the rear guide 140. .

<Rear guide 140>
The tray body 102 is provided with a rear guide 140 at the center of the tray body 102 in the first direction 94 (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 14). Similar to the rear guide 120, the rear guide 140 is configured to be slidable in the transport direction 90 and the pull-out direction 92 with respect to the paper feed tray 20 along the groove 97 (see FIG. 7). The rear guide 140 is for positioning the recording paper with respect to the paper feed tray 20. Similar to the rear guide 120, the rear guide 140 is brought into contact with an upstream end portion in the conveyance direction 90 of the recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20. As a result, the movement of the recording paper to the rear end side (the drawing direction 92 side) of the tray main body 102 is restricted by the rear guide 140. The rear guide 140 is different from the rear guide 120 in that it includes a plate 146 that supports the cleaning member 100.

  With the recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20, the rear guide 140 is slid along the groove 97 in the transport direction 90. As a result, the rear guide 140 contacts the trailing edge of the recording paper. As a result, the trailing edge of the recording paper is aligned and the trailing edge is regulated at a position corresponding to the size of the recording paper. Regardless of the size of the recording paper, the recording paper is positioned at a predetermined position close to the inclined plate 32 in the paper feed tray 20. That is, the rear guide 140 aligns the downstream end portion in the conveyance direction 90 of the recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20 with the reference position of the paper feed tray 20.

  As shown in FIG. 14A, the rear guide 140 has a plate 146 (an example of a plate in the present invention) and a vertical wall 134. The plate 146 is a flat plate member arranged in parallel with the bottom plate 84 of the tray main body 102. The plate 146 is disposed at the approximate center of the tray main body 102 in the first direction 94 (the direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 14). The plate 146 is set so that the width in the first direction 94 is wider than the axial length H1 of the two paper feed rollers 25 (see FIG. 10). The recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20 is placed on the plate 146 at the end in the drawing direction 92 side. Thereby, the plate 146 is brought into contact with a part of the lower surface of the recording paper. The vertical wall 134 is erected vertically from the edge of the plate 146 on the side of the drawing direction 92. Although not shown in the drawing, the recording paper is placed on the plate 146, and one end on the drawing direction 92 side is brought into contact with the inner surface of the vertical wall 134. In this manner, the end of the recording paper in the drawing direction 92 side is in contact with the rear guide 140.

<Recess 144>
The plate 146 is provided with a cleaning member 100 described later. A recess 144 is formed on the upper surface side of the plate 146. The recess 144 is formed in the plate 146 so as to be recessed downward from the contact surface 116 with the recording paper in the plate 146. The cleaning member 100 is accommodated in the recess 144 so as not to be exposed above the contact surface 116. The recess 144 is disposed immediately above the friction member 104 by the rear guide 140 being slid in the transport direction 90 with respect to the tray main body 102 (see FIGS. 14C and 14D). As a result, the paper feed roller 25 is pressed against the cleaning member 100 accommodated in the recess 144.

<Cleaning member 100>
The cleaning member 100 is for cleaning the paper feed roller 25 in the same manner as the cleaning members 131 and 132. The cleaning member 100 is the same as the cleaning members 131 and 132 except that the cleaning member 100 is housed in the recess 144 instead of the recesses 141 and 142. The cleaning member 100 is longer in the transport direction 90 than the contact surface of the cleaning member 100 with the paper feed roller 25. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 14A and 14C, the cleaning member 100 has a length L2 in the transport direction 90 that is 90 lengths in the transport direction of the contact surface of the cleaning member 100 with the paper feed roller 25. Is set to be longer than H2.

<Convex 149>
As shown in FIG. 14, a convex portion 149 is provided on the back surface of the plate 146. The convex portion 149 is provided at the approximate center of the plate 146 in the first direction 94 (the direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 14). That is, the convex portion 149 is provided at substantially the same position as the groove 97 (see FIG. 7) in the first direction 94. The rear guide 140 is slid in the transport direction 90 or the pull-out direction 92 with the convex portion 149 disposed in the groove 97. The convex portion 149 has a vertical wall 130 that extends downward from the back surface of the plate 146 in the vertical direction. The vertical wall 130 is provided on the downstream side (left side in FIG. 14) of the convex portion 149 in the transport direction 90. The vertical wall 130 is a surface that comes into contact with a stopper 148 (see FIG. 14) described later.

<Stopper 148>
As shown in FIG. 14, the tray main body 102 is provided with a stopper 148 (an example of a stopper in the present invention) substantially at the center of the bottom plate 84 in the first direction 94 (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 14). The stopper 148 constitutes an end of the groove 97 (see FIG. 7) formed in the bottom plate 84 on the conveyance direction 90 side. The stopper 148 is provided at a position facing the convex portion 149 in the transport direction 90 and the drawing direction 92.

  Next, the positional relationship between the paper feed roller 25 and the cleaning member 100 as the rear guide 140 slides will be described.

  The rear guide 140 is configured to be slidable in the conveyance direction 90 and the drawing direction 92 in the paper feed tray 20. In the rear guide 140, the cleaning member 100 is provided on the plate 146 as described above. The rear guide 140 is moved between the first position and the second position by sliding in the transport direction 90 or the drawing direction 92. The first position (see FIGS. 14A and 14B) is a position where the rear guide 140 holds the recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20 at a reference position corresponding to its size. The first position in the present embodiment is a position where the rear guide 140 positions the downstream end in the transport direction 90 of the recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20 at a predetermined position near the inclined plate 32. The first position can take a plurality of positions corresponding to each size of the recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20. In the second position (see FIGS. 14C and 14D), the sheet feeding roller 25 moved to the sheet feeding tray 20 side with no recording sheet placed on the sheet feeding tray 20 is placed on the cleaning member 100. It is a position to be pressed. In the present embodiment, since the cleaning member 100 is longer in the transport direction 90 than the contact surface of the cleaning member 100 with the paper feed roller 25, the second position can take at least two positions.

<First position>
When the recording paper of the maximum size (A4 size in this embodiment) that can be placed on the paper feed tray 20 is used for image recording, the rear guide 140 is conveyed to substantially the same position as the rear guide 120 shown in FIG. It is slid in the direction 90 or the drawing direction 92. As a result, the separation distance between the reference position near the inclined plate 32 and the vertical wall 134 of the rear guide 140 becomes substantially equal to the length of the A4 size recording sheet. That is, the rear guide 140 is disposed at the first position for holding the A4 size recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20 (see FIG. 14A). As a result, the A4 size recording paper is positioned at a predetermined reference position corresponding to the A4 size with respect to the paper feed tray 20. The paper feed tray 20 is attached to the apparatus main body 35 with the A4 size recording paper placed thereon in this way. Note that the positioning of the recording paper by the side guides 80 and 81 is performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and thus description thereof is omitted here.

  When recording paper of a minimum size (photo L size in this embodiment) that can be placed on the paper feed tray 20 is used for image recording, the rear guide 140 is slid to a predetermined position in the transport direction 90 by the user. (See FIGS. 14A and 14B). As a result, the distance between the reference position near the inclined plate 32 and the vertical wall 134 of the rear guide 140 becomes substantially equal to the length of the photographic L size recording paper. That is, the rear guide 140 is disposed at a first position for holding a photographic L-size recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20 (see FIG. 14B). As a result, the photographic L size recording paper is positioned at a predetermined reference position corresponding to the photographic L size with respect to the paper feed tray 20. The paper feed tray 20 is attached to the apparatus main body 35 in such a state that the photo L size recording paper is thus placed.

  Note that the first position in the present embodiment is not limited to the position where the rear guide 140 holds the recording paper of A4 size or photographic L size placed on the paper feed tray 20. That is, the first position here may be a position where the rear guide 140 holds a recording sheet of another size (for example, a postcard size) placed on the sheet feeding tray 20.

<Second position>
The rear guide 140 is slid in the transport direction 90 by the user when no recording paper is placed on the paper feed tray 20. As shown in FIGS. 14A to 14C, the rear guide 140 is slid to a position where the cleaning member 100 is disposed immediately above the friction member 104. In this state, the paper feed tray 20 is mounted on the apparatus main body 35 without placing the recording paper. Since no recording paper is placed on the paper feed tray 20, the arm 26 (see FIG. 6) is rotated to the paper feed tray 20 side. As a result, the paper feed roller 25 is in pressure contact with the cleaning member 100 (see FIG. 14C). As described above, after the rear guide 140 is slid to the position where the cleaning member 100 is disposed immediately above the friction member 104, the paper feed tray 20 is mounted on the apparatus main body 35. As a result, the rear guide 140 is disposed at the second position where the paper feed roller 25 is pressed against the cleaning member 100. In the present embodiment, since the cleaning member 100 is made of rubber, the cleaning member 100 is in close contact with the paper feed roller 25.

  In the multifunction machine 10 according to the present embodiment, the paper feed roller 25 can be cleaned by a simple operation of mounting the paper feed tray 20 on the apparatus main body 35 after the rear guide 140 is slid in the transport direction 90 with respect to the tray main body 102. It becomes a state.

<Cleaning>
Cleaning of the paper feed roller 25 is performed as follows.

  When the recording paper is not correctly conveyed from the paper feed tray 20 to the first conveyance path 22, the paper feed tray 20 is pulled out from the apparatus main body 35 by the user. The user takes out the recording paper from the paper feed tray 20. The user slides the rear guide 140 in the transport direction 90 so that the cleaning member 100 is disposed immediately above the friction member 104, and then attaches the paper feed tray 20 to the apparatus main body 35. As a result, the paper feed roller 25 is pressed against the cleaning member 100, and the paper feed roller 25 can be cleaned (see FIG. 14C). In this state, when a predetermined operation is performed from the operation panel 14, the paper feed roller 25 is rotationally driven. Since the paper feed roller 25 is rotationally driven in a state where the cleaning member 100 is in close contact, paper dust, ink, dust, etc. adhering to the paper feed roller 25 are removed from the paper feed roller 25 by the cleaning member 100.

  Since the cleaning member 100 is rotationally driven in a state where the paper feed roller 25 is in pressure contact, an external force acts in a direction to be sent out to the first conveyance path 22. For this reason, a force acts on the rear guide 140 in the direction in which the rear guide 140 is moved in the transport direction 90. A stopper 148 is provided on the downstream side (left side in FIG. 14) of the convex portion 149 in the transport direction 90. When cleaning the paper feed roller 25, the rear guide 140 is slid from the upstream side (right side in FIG. 14) in the transport direction 90 to the downstream side (left side in FIG. 14). In other words, the rear guide 140 is moved from the first position (see FIG. 14 (A) or (B)) to the second position (see FIG. 14 (C) or (D)). Thereby, the vertical wall 130 of the convex part 149 contacts the stopper 148 (see FIG. 14D). As a result, the rear guide 140 is restrained with respect to the tray body 102. For this reason, when the paper feed roller 25 is driven to rotate, the state where the paper feed roller 25 is pressed against the cleaning member 100 is maintained. That is, the state where the rear guide 140 is disposed at the second position is maintained.

<Effects of Second Embodiment>
As described above, the paper feed roller 25 can be cleaned by moving the rear guide 140 for positioning the recording paper with respect to the paper feed tray 20 to the second position (see FIGS. 14C and 14D). It becomes a state. For this reason, the user can clean the paper feed roller 25 with a simple configuration without performing a troublesome operation such as installing a cleaning member on the paper feed tray 20 or removing and storing it.

  The second position of the rear guide 140 in the present embodiment is set closer to the inclined plate 32 than the first position (see FIG. 14B) corresponding to the minimum size recording paper that can be placed on the paper feed tray 20. This is the position on the reference position side (see FIGS. 14C and 14D). In a state where the rear guide 140 is disposed at the second position, the recording paper cannot be placed on the paper feed tray 20. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the problem that the paper feed roller 25 cannot be cleaned because the recording paper is placed on the paper feed tray 20 even though the cleaning member 100 is disposed at the cleaning position. Is done.

  As shown in FIGS. 14C and 14D, the position of the contact surface of the cleaning member 100 with the paper feed roller 25 is changed by moving the rear guide 140. Compared to the case where the length of the cleaning member 100 in the transport direction 90 is substantially equal to the length of the contact surface, the cleaning member 100 can be used more repeatedly.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 14D, the convex portion 149 contacts the stopper 148 in the state where the rear guide 140 is disposed at the second position. Therefore, the movement of the rear guide 140 moved from the first position side to the second position side is restricted at the second position, and the rear guide 140 is reliably arranged at the second position. The stopper 148 prevents the rear guide 140 that supports the cleaning member 100 from moving in the transport direction 90 when the paper feed roller 25 is rotated and cleaned.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a multifunction machine 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the internal structure of the printer unit 11 of the multifunction machine 10. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the main part of the printer unit 11. FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the path switching unit 72 and shows a state in which the frame 55 is maintained in a horizontal posture. FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the path switching unit 72 and shows a state in which the frame 55 is maintained in a rotating posture. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the paper feed cassette 70. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the paper feed tray 20. FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a portion VIII in FIG. FIG. 9 is a plan view of the tray main body 102 and shows a state in which the side guides 80 and 81 are arranged at the first position for holding the maximum size recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which the side guide 81 is slid to the center of the tray main body 102 in the first direction 94. FIG. 11 is a plan view of the tray main body 102 and shows a state in which the side guides 80 and 81 are arranged at the first position for holding the minimum size recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20. FIG. 12 is a plan view of the tray main body 102 and shows a state in which the paper feed roller 25 is disposed at the second position where it is pressed against the cleaning member 131. FIG. 13 is a plan view of the tray main body 102 and shows a state in which the paper feed roller 25 is disposed at the second position where it is pressed against the cleaning member 132. FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which the rear guide 140 is slid in the transport direction 90 with respect to the tray main body 102.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Multifunction machine 11 ... Printer part (an example of the image recording apparatus of this invention)
20 ... Paper feed tray (an example of the first tray of the present invention)
21... Paper discharge tray (an example of the second tray of the present invention)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 22 ... 1st conveyance path 23 ... 2nd conveyance path 24 ... Recording part 25 ... Paper feed roller (an example of the roller of this invention)
65. Recording paper (an example of the sheet of the present invention)
72: path switching unit 80: side guide 81: side guide (an example of the positioning member of the present invention, corresponding to the side guide of the present invention)
90 ... conveying direction 94 ... first direction 100 ... cleaning member 116, 138 ... contact surface 131, 132 ... cleaning member 136, 146 ... plate 138 ... contact surface 140... Rear guide (an example of the positioning member of the present invention, corresponding to the rear guide of the present invention)
141, 142, 144... Recessed portion 148... Stopper

Claims (11)

A first tray on which sheets are placed;
A positioning member configured to be movable in the first tray and positioning the sheet with respect to the first tray;
A first conveyance path through which the sheet supplied from the first tray is conveyed;
A roller configured to be movable toward and away from the first tray and supplying a sheet on the first tray to the first conveyance path;
A recording unit for recording an image on the sheet in the process of conveying the sheet;
A cleaning member provided on the positioning member for cleaning the roller,
The positioning member includes a first position for holding a sheet placed on the first tray, and the roller moved toward the first tray in a state where no sheet is placed on the first tray. An image recording apparatus configured to be movable between a second position pressed against a cleaning member.   The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the positioning member is a rear guide that is in contact with an upstream end portion in a conveyance direction of a sheet placed on the first tray.   The image recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the cleaning member is longer in the transport direction than a contact surface of the cleaning member with the roller.   And a stopper for stopping the rear guide from moving from the second position to the downstream side in the transport direction by moving the rear guide from the first position to the second position. 2. The image recording apparatus according to 2 or 3. The rear guide substantially matches the downstream end of the sheet placed on the first tray in the conveyance direction with the reference position of the first tray,
5. The image recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second position is a position on the downstream side of the first position corresponding to a minimum size sheet that can be placed on the first tray. 6.   2. The image recording according to claim 1, wherein the positioning member is a side guide that is in contact with an end portion of the sheet in a first horizontal direction substantially orthogonal to a conveyance direction of the sheet placed on the first tray. apparatus.   The image recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the cleaning member is longer in the first direction than a contact surface of the cleaning member with the roller. The side guide substantially matches the center position of the sheet placed on the first tray in the first direction with the reference position of the first tray,
8. The image recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the second position is a position closer to the reference position than the first position corresponding to a minimum size sheet that can be placed on the first tray. 9. The positioning member is
A plate that comes into contact with a part of the lower surface of the sheet placed on the first tray;
A recess formed in the plate so as to be recessed from the contact surface of the sheet in the plate,
The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning member is accommodated in the recess.   The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning member is elastically deformable. A second transport path connected to the first transport path and the first tray, the sheet transported through the first transport path being switched back;
A second tray from which the sheet conveyed through the first conveyance path is discharged;
11. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a path switching unit configured to send the sheet conveyed on the first conveyance path to the second tray or the second conveyance path.

Images