JP6292371B2 - Recording device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording apparatus that performs recording on a recording medium.

  Hereinafter, a printer as an example of a recording apparatus will be described as an example, and a printer provided with a cassette (tray) for storing paper will be described as an example. Removable paper cassettes (tray) have been widely used in the past, and as shown in Patent Document 1, in one removable paper cassette (tray), a two-stage paper cassette is provided at the lower and upper stages. A formula structure is also conventionally known.

  In this tray, an upper tray and a lower tray are integrally configured, and the upper tray is slidable with respect to the lower tray. When the paper is sent out from the lower tray, the upper tray is slid to the retracted position so that the upper tray does not get in the way. When feeding paper from the upper tray, the upper tray is slid to the abutting position in the paper feeding direction.

JP 2007-230777 A

  The configuration described in Patent Document 1 is a configuration in which the user slides the upper tray, and therefore the upper tray may not be in an appropriate position due to forgetting the user's operation during use. In order to solve such a problem, it is preferable that the upper tray is automatically slid and displaced by the power of a motor or the like.

  On the other hand, when the power source is shared by a plurality of driving targets to reduce the cost of the apparatus, a power transmission switching unit may be used. In the above example, when the motor is shared between the paper feed motor and the tray, for example, by transmitting power from the paper feed roller to the tray, the paper feed motor is prevented so that the tray does not always move due to the rotation of the paper feed roller. It is necessary to provide means for switching between the power transmission state and the cut state between the tray and the tray. As such means, a transmission gear that can be displaced between a position that meshes with a drive gear that drives the tray and a position that is separated from the drive gear is provided, and the power of the paper feed motor is provided in this transmission gear. It is conceivable to configure so that.

  By the way, when the tray is slid by a power source, the following problem also occurs. In other words, since the tray stops at the abutting position, when the tray reaches the abutting position and the motor tries to rotate, the motor is loaded, and at the same time, the power transmission means between the tray and the motor is also applied. A load is applied.

Then, the rotational shaft is twisted in the power transmission means, and this twist acts so as to maintain the meshing state between the drive gear and the transmission gear, that is, the teeth of the transmission gear and the teeth of the drive gear. When the transmission gear is engaged with the drive gear and is not released (locked in the engaged state), resulting in the tray moving unintentionally and being unable to feed properly. There is.
Such a problem is an example, and is generally a problem that may occur between a power source and a drive target driven by the power source.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object thereof is to provide a recording apparatus capable of appropriately switching power transmission between a power source and a drive target.
Note that there are various names such as “cassette” and “tray” as the name of the paper storage unit that stores paper in the recording apparatus. In this specification, the term “tray” is used.

In order to solve the above problem, a recording apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention includes a first gear that drives a drive target, a meshing position that meshes with the first gear, and a spacing position that is spaced from the first gear. A second gear driven by a power source that moves in the first direction at the meshing position and moves the drive target to a movement limit position of the drive target; and the second gear A gear moving means for moving the gear from the separated position to the meshing position and positioning the gear at the meshing position, comprising a recording head for recording on a recording medium and moving in a predetermined direction; The carriage can move forward and backward with respect to the moving area, and can be displaced in the displacement direction of the second gear. A lever-like member that is disposed between the second gear and the second gear, and displaces the second gear as the carriage moves, and the gear moving means positions the second gear at the meshing position. Control means for executing a control mode for controlling the power source so as to intermittently rotate the second gear in a second direction opposite to the first direction in a state where the positioning state is released; It is characterized by having.
The recording apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention is displaceable between a first gear that drives a drive target, a meshing position that meshes with the first gear, and a separation position that is spaced from the first gear. A second gear driven by a power source, wherein the second gear is moved to the movement limit position of the drive target by rotating in the first direction at the meshing position; and the second gear is moved to the separation position. Gear moving means for moving from the position to the meshing position and positioning to the meshing position, and the second gear in the state in which the gear moving means has released the positioning state from the state in which the second gear is positioned at the meshing position. And a control means for executing a control mode for controlling the power source so as to be intermittently rotated in a second direction that is opposite to the first direction.

  The recording device switches power transmission by displacing the second gear with respect to the first gear, and when the second gear is rotated in the first direction while the second gear is engaged with the first gear. The drive target is configured to move to the movement limit position. In such a configuration, in this aspect, when the second gear is separated from the first gear, a control mode is executed in which the second gear is intermittently rotated in a direction opposite to the first direction (second direction). To do. Therefore, when the second gear is rotated in the first direction and the drive target is moved to the movement limit position, even if the teeth of the second gear and the teeth of the first gear are in a strong pressure contact state, Such a state can be released, and the second gear can be reliably moved to the separated position. That is, it is possible to appropriately switch power transmission between the power source and the drive target.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the recording apparatus includes a recording head that performs recording on a recording medium, a carriage that moves in a predetermined direction, and the carriage constitutes the gear moving unit. The second gear is displaced with the movement of.

  According to this aspect, since the carriage also serves as a gear moving means for displacing the second gear from the separated position to the meshing position, the cost of the apparatus can be reduced.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, a support member that supports a recording medium in a region where recording is performed by the recording head, and the recording head and the supporting member provided on the carriage. A gap adjusting means for adjusting a gap between the carriage and the carriage, wherein the carriage is movable in the moving direction of the carriage and is displaceable in the displacement direction of the second gear, and the carriage moves in the carriage moving area. A lever-like member interposed between the first gear and the second gear and displacing the second gear as the carriage moves. The gap adjusting means is engageable with the lever-like member in the carriage. The gap is adjusted by moving the carriage in a state where the carriage is engaged with the lever-like member. Characterized in that it comprises a structure.

  According to this aspect, the gap adjusting means for adjusting the gap between the recording head and the support member performs the gap adjustment using the lever-like member that displaces the second gear, that is, the lever-like member is Since it is used for both the gap adjustment and the power transmission switching, the cost of the apparatus can be reduced by sharing the constituent members.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect, after the gap is adjusted by moving the carriage in a state where the gap adjusting means is engaged with the lever-like member, The control mode is executed.

  Since the lever-like member is used for both gap adjustment and power transmission switching, the first gear and the second gear mesh with each other during the gap adjustment, and the teeth of the second gear and the teeth of the first gear. May be in a state of being strongly pressed. However, according to this aspect, since the intermittent rotation control mode is executed after the gap is adjusted, even if the first gear and the second gear mesh during the gap adjustment, the meshing state is maintained. It can be canceled appropriately if necessary.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the lower tray for storing the recording medium, the upper tray positioned above the lower tray, and in the feeding direction of the recording medium And an upper tray that accommodates a recording medium provided so as to be slidable along the recording medium, and the drive target is the upper tray.

  According to this aspect, in the configuration in which the drive target is an upper tray that is slidable, the same operational effects as those of any of the first to fourth aspects described above can be obtained.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing a paper conveyance path of the printer according to the invention. FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing a paper conveyance path of the printer according to the invention. The perspective view of an upper stage side tray and a power transmission switching means. The perspective view which looked at the carriage from the back side. The perspective view of a power transmission switching means (power cutting state). The perspective view of a power transmission switching means (power transmission state). The schematic diagram of a gap adjustment means. The flowchart which shows the flow of control at the time of driving an upper stage side tray.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the invention is not limited to the embodiment described below, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention described in the claims. Assuming that these are also included in the scope of the present invention, one embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

  1 and 2 are side sectional views showing a sheet conveyance path of an ink jet printer (hereinafter referred to as “printer”) 1 as an embodiment of a “recording apparatus” according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 shows an upper tray 56 and power. 4 is a perspective view of the carriage 29 as viewed from the back side, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the power transmission switching means 39 (power cut state), and FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the power transmission switching means 39. (Power transmission state), FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the gap adjusting means 34, and FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of control when driving the upper tray 56.

  In the xyz orthogonal coordinate system shown in each drawing, the x direction and the y direction are horizontal directions, of which the x direction is a direction (paper width direction) orthogonal to the paper transport direction. It is the moving direction (main scanning direction) and also the apparatus width (left and right) direction of the printer 1. In addition, the y direction is a paper conveyance direction, and is also an apparatus depth direction of the printer 1. Furthermore, the z direction is the direction of gravity and is also the device height direction of the printer 1.

■■■ 1. Overall printer configuration ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■
The overall configuration of the printer 1 will be outlined below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. The printer 1 includes a scanner unit 3 above an apparatus main body (recording unit) 2 that performs ink jet recording on a recording sheet as an example of a recording medium. That is, the printer 1 is a multifunction device having a scanner function in addition to an ink jet recording function. It is configured.

  Reference numeral 5 on the front side of the apparatus denotes an operation panel including a power button, operation buttons for performing various print settings / recording, a display unit for displaying print setting contents and print image previews, and the like.

  Reference numeral 59 is a cover that can be opened and closed provided on the lower tray 60 on the front side of the apparatus, and FIGS. 1 and 2 show a state in which the cover 59 is opened. By opening the cover 59, the lower tray 60, the upper tray 56, and the paper discharge receiving tray 8 are configured to be exposed. When the cover 59 is closed, the cover 59 and the operation panel 5 form a flat front surface (vertical surface) of the apparatus.

  Reference numeral 8 denotes a paper discharge receiving tray for receiving recording paper that is recorded and discharged. The paper discharge receiving tray 8 is housed in the apparatus main body 2 by a motor (not shown), and the apparatus main body. 2 (FIGS. 1 and 2).

  The lower tray 60 and the upper tray 56 provided on the upper tray 60 can accommodate a plurality of recording sheets, and each can be independently attached to and detached from the apparatus main body 2. Further, even if one side is not attached, the recording paper can be sent out from the attached tray as long as the other side is attached. The lower tray 60 and the upper tray 56 are slidable in the apparatus depth direction by guide rails (not shown).

  Reference numeral 6 denotes an openable / closable manual feed cover in the upper rear part of the apparatus main body 2 (upper left in FIGS. 1 and 2). By opening the manual feed cover 6, recording paper is manually fed using the manual feed tray 7. Can be done.

  Next, the paper transport path will be further described. The printer 1 according to this embodiment includes a lower tray 60 and an upper tray 56 at the bottom of the apparatus, and feeds recording sheets one by one from the lower tray 60 or the upper tray 56.

  The upper tray 56 is provided so as to be slid between the retracted position (FIG. 1) and the abutting position (FIG. 2) by the power of the motor 40 (FIG. 3) when mounted on the apparatus main body 2. . Note that the upper tray 56 is in the “mounted state” in which the upper tray 56 is mounted on the apparatus main body 2 regardless of whether the upper tray 56 is in the retracted position or the abutting position. If the upper tray 56 is located on the nearer side than the retracted position (further to the right of the position in FIG. 1), the upper tray 56 is in an incompletely mounted state, that is, an “unmounted state”. Further, regarding the lower tray 60, the state where it is completely pushed to the abutting position (FIGS. 1 and 2) is the “mounted state”, and the other state is the “unmounted state”.

  In FIGS. 1 and 2, the recording paper stored in the lower tray 60 is indicated by the reference symbol P1, and the recording paper stored in the upper tray 56 is indicated by the reference symbol P2 (hereinafter, it is necessary to particularly distinguish them). If not, say “paper P”).

  Next, a feeding roller (also called a pickup roller) 10 that is rotationally driven by a motor (not shown) is provided on a swinging member 11 that swings about a rotation shaft 12. The rotation shaft 12 constitutes a swing shaft of the swing member 11 and rotates by receiving the power of a motor (not shown), thereby rotating a gear (not shown) from a gear (not shown) provided on the rotation shaft 12. Power is transmitted to the feed roller 10 via the row.

  The feeding roller 10 is in a state where the upper tray 56 is slid to the most front side of the apparatus (rightward in FIGS. 1 and 2: the pulling direction side of the upper tray 56), that is, when the upper tray 56 is in the retracted position. (State of FIG. 1), the uppermost sheet P1 is fed from the lower tray 60 by rotating in contact with the uppermost sheet P1 stored in the lower tray 60.

  Further, when the upper tray 56 is at the abutting position where it slides to the rearmost side of the apparatus (leftward in FIGS. 1 and 2: the mounting direction side of the upper tray 56 and also the paper feed direction side), that is, the upper stage side. In the feedable position of the tray 56 (the state shown in FIG. 2), the feed roller 10 rotates in contact with the uppermost sheet P2 stored in the upper tray 56, whereby the uppermost sheet P2 is rotated. It is sent out from the upper tray 56.

  Subsequently, in the apparatus main body 2, a separation slope 16 is provided at a position facing the tips of the lower tray 60 and the upper tray 56. When the lower tray 60 is attached, the tip of the lower tray 60 is provided. A stopper (not shown) provided on the rear side enters the back side (left side in FIG. 1) from the separation slope 16 so that the leading edge of the paper stored in the lower tray 60 can come into contact with the separation slope 16.

  In the upper tray 56, a stopper 56c (FIG. 1) provided at the front end of the upper tray 56 in a state where the upper tray 56 is positioned at a feedable position (butting position: FIG. 2), The paper enters the back from the separation slope 16, and the leading edge of the sheet stored in the upper tray 56 can come into contact with the separation slope 16.

  Then, the paper P sent out from the lower tray 60 or the upper tray 56 advances downstream while the leading edge thereof is in contact with the separation slope 16, so that the uppermost paper P to be fed and the subsequent paper P are fed. And separation.

  An intermediate roller 17 that is rotationally driven by a motor 40 (FIG. 3) is provided at the tip of the separation slope 16, and the sheet P is curved and reversed by the intermediate roller 17 and moves toward the front side of the apparatus. Reference numerals 19, 20, and 21 are driven rollers that can be driven and rotated. At least the paper P is nipped by the driven roller 19 and the intermediate roller 17, and is nipped by the driven roller 20 and the intermediate roller 17, and is downstream. Sent to the side.

  At the tip of the intermediate roller 17, a conveyance driving roller 24 that is rotationally driven by a motor 40 (FIG. 3) and a conveyance driven roller 25 that is driven and rotated in contact with the conveyance driving roller 24 are provided. The paper P is sent under the recording head 30.

  Subsequently, the recording head 30 for ejecting ink is provided at the bottom of the carriage 29, and the carriage 29 is driven by a motor (not shown) so as to reciprocate in the main scanning direction (the front and back directions in FIGS. 1 and 2).

  A support member 28 is provided at a position facing the recording head 30, and the support member 28 defines an interval between the paper P and the recording head 30. On the downstream side of the support member 28, a discharge drive roller 31 that is rotationally driven by a motor 40 (FIG. 3) and a discharge driven roller 32 that is driven and rotated in contact with the discharge drive roller 31 are provided. The sheet P on which recording has been performed by the recording head 30 is discharged toward the above-described discharge receiving tray 8 by these rollers.

■■■ 2. Details of the paper feeding mechanism ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■
The above is the overall configuration of the printer 1, and the upper tray 56 and its drive mechanism will be described below with reference to FIG.
In FIG. 3, the upper tray 56 is provided with an edge guide 57c slidable in the sheet feeding direction on the bottom surface 56a, and the position of the rear end of the sheet is regulated by the edge guide 57c.

  The upper tray 56 is also provided with edge guides 57a and 57b that are slidable in the sheet width direction, and the position of the sheet side edge is regulated by the edge guides 57a and 57b. In this embodiment, the two edge guides 57a and 57b that regulate the side edges of the paper are synchronously displaced so as to be positioned on the left and right sides of the paper with the center position in the paper width direction being symmetrical. That is, the printer 1 according to the present embodiment uses the center position in the sheet width direction as the feeding reference position (the same applies to the lower tray 60).

  On the bottom surface 56a of the upper tray 56, a high friction material 58 is disposed near a position corresponding to the contact position between the feeding roller 10 and the paper P2, and the high friction material 58 causes the feeding roller 10 to The sheet bundle is held so that the sheet bundle is not sent downstream when the sheet is fed.

  A rack portion 56b is formed on the upper surface of one end of the upper tray 56 along the sliding direction of the upper tray 56, and a rack and pinion is engaged by the pinion gear 49 meshing with the rack portion 56b. The mechanism is configured. Then, the pinion gear 49 is rotated by the power of the motor 40, which is an example of a power source, so that the upper tray 56 slides between the feedable position (butting position: FIG. 2) and the retracted position (FIG. 1). It is supposed to do. Reference numeral 70 denotes a control unit that controls the motor 40.

  Hereinafter, the configuration for driving the upper tray 56 will be further described. The gear 41 attached to the rotation shaft of the motor 40 transmits power to the gear 43 attached to the shaft end of the transport driving roller 24 via the gear 42. That is, power is transmitted to the transport drive roller 24. The motor 40 also transmits power to the intermediate roller 17 and the discharge drive roller 31 via power transmission means (not shown).

  The transport drive roller 24 is provided with a gear 44, and a gear 45 is engaged with the gear 44. The gear 45 is provided on a rotation shaft 50 (FIGS. 5 and 6) extending along the rotation axis direction (x direction) of the transport driving roller 24, and the rotation shaft 50 has a “second gear”. The gear 46 is provided so as to be slidable along the rotation axis direction of the rotation shaft 50. When the gear 46 slides and displaces, the gear 46 engages with a gear 47 as a “first gear” (position in FIG. 6) and a separation position (position in FIG. 5) apart from the gear 47. Displace.

  The gear 46 is slidable along the rotation axis direction of the rotation shaft 50, but the rotation is restricted with respect to the rotation direction of the rotation shaft 50, that is, the gear 46 is integrated with the rotation shaft 50. Rotate to. As described above, when the motor 40 rotates, the transport driving roller 24, the gear 44, the gear 45, the rotating shaft 50, and the gear 46 are always rotated.

The gear 47 is provided on a rotation shaft 48 extending along the rotation axis direction of the transport driving roller 24, and a gear 49 constituting a rack and pinion mechanism is attached to the rotation shaft 48. That is, when the gear 46 that slides is in the meshing position (the position shown in FIG. 6), the power of the motor 40 is transmitted to the upper tray 56 via the rotation shaft 48, and the upper tray 56 is slid. Has been. The rotating shaft 48 is formed of a resin material in this embodiment.
As described above, the rotary shaft 50, the gear 46, the gear 47, and the lever-like member 51 described later constitute a power transmission switching unit 39 that switches a power transmission state between the motor 40 and the upper tray 56.

  Next, gear moving means for moving the gear 46 from the separated position toward the meshing position will be described. A lever-like member 51 is provided on the rotary shaft 50 so as to be slidable in the direction of the rotary axis of the rotary shaft 50, similarly to the gear 46. However, unlike the gear 46, the lever-like member 51 is provided to be rotatable relative to the rotation shaft 50. In addition, a predetermined rotational frictional resistance is provided between the rotary shaft 50 and the lever-like member 51. The lever-like member 51 is provided so as to be rotatable within a predetermined range. Therefore, the lever-like member 51 is rotated (oscillated) by a predetermined range (angle) by the rotation of the motor 40.

  The lever-like member 51 advances and retreats with respect to the movement region of the carriage 29 by rotating (swinging). In a state where the lever-like member 51 has advanced into the movement area of the carriage 29 (the state shown in FIG. 4), when the carriage 29 moves in the left direction (x-direction: home position direction) in FIG. 4 to the left in FIG. 4, whereby the lever-like member 51, that is, the gear 46 is switched from the separated position to the meshing position.

  The gear 46 (and the lever-like member 51) is pressed (biased) in the direction of the separated position by a pressing means (biasing means) (not shown). Therefore, when the carriage 29 is separated from the lever-like member 51, the gear 46 is moved. (And the lever-like member 51) moves to the separated position. In other words, in a state where the carriage 29 has positioned the gear 46 at the meshing position, the gear 46 is held at the meshing position unless the carriage 29 moves. When the positioning state of the carriage 29 is released, the gear 46 moves to the separated position.

  The lever-like member 51 is engaged with the gap adjusting means 34 provided on the carriage 29 in the carriage 29. As shown in FIG. 7, the gap adjusting means 34 is a means for adjusting the gap (PG) between the recording head 30 and the support member 28 that supports the paper P in the recording area by the recording head 30, and the gap adjusting cam 36. And a slider 35. The gap adjustment cam 36 and the slider 35 are moved together with the carriage 29 in the main scanning direction.

Reference numeral 33 denotes a frame, and the slider 35 slides on the frame 33 when the carriage 29 moves. That is, the frame 33 bears a part of the weight of the carriage 29.
The gap adjusting cam 36 is provided between the supported portions 37 and 37 constituting a part of the casing of the carriage 29 and the slider 35 and is supported from below by the protrusions 35 b and 35 b of the slider 35. It is in a state.

  In the gap adjustment cam 36, the lower surfaces supported by the protrusions 35 b and 35 b are stepped cam surfaces 36 a and 36 a, and the gap adjustment cam 36 moves relative to the slider 35 in the x direction. The PG is configured to be switched.

  The gap adjusting cam 36 can be engaged with the lever-like member 51 described above (FIG. 4), and the carriage 29 moves while the lever-like member 51 is engaged with the gap adjusting cam 36. The adjustment cam 36 moves relative to the supported portion 37 and the slider 35, and the gap PG is switched. The lever-like member 51 is engaged with the gap adjusting cam 36 by switching between normal rotation and reverse rotation of the motor 40 (conveyance drive roller 24) (a state where the carriage 29 has moved into the moving region of the carriage 29: FIG. 4), The state in which the gap adjustment cam 36 is not engaged (the state where the carriage 29 is retracted from the moving region: not shown) is switched.

  Next, the control flow when driving the upper tray 56, particularly the control of the motor 40 by the control unit 70 will be described with reference to FIG. In the description, it is assumed that the upper tray 56 is in the retracted position (the position in FIG. 1), and the carriage 29 is in the home position area (the position most moved to the x-side: for example, the position shown in FIG. 3). To do. First, the control unit 70 rotates the motor 40 in the normal direction to retract the lever-like member 51 from the carriage movement area (step S101). In the following description, “forward rotation” of the motor 40 means a rotation direction when the motor 40 rotates the transport driving roller 24 in the forward direction (when the paper P is transported downstream). Rotation in the “first direction”. The reverse rotation of the motor 40 is the reverse rotation direction with respect to the forward rotation direction, and this is the rotation of the motor 40 in the “second direction”.

  In the present embodiment, the forward rotation direction of the motor 40 is a direction in which the lever-like member 51 switches from the retracted state to the advanced state with respect to the movement region of the carriage 29, and the upper tray 56 is in the contact position from the retracted position. It is a direction to move to. The reverse direction of the motor 40 is a direction in which the lever-like member 51 switches from the advanced state to the retracted state with respect to the movement region of the carriage 29, and the upper tray 56 moves from the abutting position to the retracted position. is there.

  Next, the carriage 29 is moved to the lever pressing area (step S102). The lever pressing area is an area in which the carriage 29 can press the lever-like member 51. More specifically, the gap adjusting cam 36 is an area opposite to the home position with respect to the lever-like member 51 (for example, the position in FIG. 4). ) And the position of the carriage 29 at which the gap adjusting cam 36 is engaged with the lever-like member 51.

  Next, the motor 40 is rotated in the reverse direction, and the lever-like member 51 is advanced to the moving area of the carriage 29 (gap adjusting cam 36) (step S103). Then, the carriage 29 is moved to the home position side, that is, the lever-like member 51 is pressed, and the gear 46 is displaced to a position where it engages with the gear 47 (step S104).

  Next, the motor 40 is rotated forward, the upper tray 56 is moved to the abutting position, that is, the feedable position (FIG. 2) (step S105), and then the carriage 29 is retracted from the lever pressing region (step S106). This state is a state where the positioning state is released from the state where the carriage 29 positions the gear 46 at the meshing position.

  Since the gear 46 is urged by a spring (not shown) toward the separation position, the gear 46 is essentially separated from the gear 47 in step S106, and power is transmitted between the motor 40 and the upper tray 56. The path is disconnected. However, when the upper tray 56 is moved to the abutting position (step S105), the rotation shaft in the power transmission path, for example, the rotation shaft 48 is twisted.

  That is, when the control unit 70 moves the upper tray 56 to the abutting position, the motor when the motor 40 tries to rotate even after the upper tray 56 reaches the movement limit position (butting position). The motor 40 is stopped by detecting an increase in the drive current value of 40. Therefore, the rotational load in the power transmission path is twisted by the driving load at this time.

  This twist is a state in which the teeth of the gear 46 and the teeth of the gear 47 are in pressure contact (an inappropriate pressure (hereinafter referred to as “surface pressure”) is generated between the tooth surface of the gear 46 and the tooth surface of the gear 47. Therefore, even if the carriage 29 is retracted from the lever pressing area in step S106, the gear 46 is not separated from the gear 47 and is kept engaged with the gear 47.

  Then, when the conveyance driving roller 24 is driven in reverse in the following, the upper tray 56 moves to the retreat position side accordingly, and it becomes impossible to properly feed out the paper from the upper tray 56.

  In this embodiment, in order to avoid such a problem, the operation of releasing the surface pressure between the gear 46 and the gear 47 is performed a plurality of times. More specifically, a variable n indicating the number of surface pressure release operations is set to zero (step S107), and then the motor 40 is rotated slightly (α step) in a direction (reverse direction) for releasing the surface pressure (step α). S108). If the α step is set in a large amount, the upper tray 56 moves to the retracted position side in the above example. Therefore, for example, it is preferable to set the α step to an amount corresponding to the backlash between the gear 46 and the gear 47. is there.

Next, the variable n is incremented (step S109), after waiting for a predetermined time (step S110), this is repeated until the total surface pressure release operation reaches k times (for example, 5 times) (step S111). The predetermined number of reverse rotations of the motor 40 are intermittent rotations of the motor 40, that is, the intermittent rotation control mode is set.
As described above, the surface pressure between the gear 46 and the gear 47 can be reliably released, that is, the gear 46 is reliably moved from the meshing position to the separated position, and the motor 40 and the upper tray 56 are separated. The power transmission path can be reliably cut.

  As described above, the printer 1 according to the present invention includes the motor 40 as a power source, the upper tray 56 as a driving target driven by the motor 40, and the first gear that drives the upper tray 56. The gear 47 is provided so as to be displaceable between a meshing position that meshes with the gear 47 and a spaced position that is separated from the gear 47, and in a state of meshing with the gear 47, the first direction (in the above embodiment, the transport driving roller 24 is normal). And a gear 46 driven by a motor 40 that moves the upper tray 56 to a movement limit position (butting position) by rotating in the rotation direction). A carriage 29 is provided as a gear moving means for moving the gear 46 from the separated position to the meshing position and positioning the gear 46 at the meshing position. Then, the control unit 70 intermittently rotates the gear 46 in the second direction, which is opposite to the first direction, in a state where the carriage 29 has released the positioning state from the state where the gear 29 has been positioned at the meshing position. An intermittent rotation control mode for controlling the motor 40 is executed (steps S107 to S111 in FIG. 9).

  As a result, even if the teeth of the gear 46 and the teeth of the gear 47 are strongly pressed, such a state can be released, and the gear 46 can be reliably moved to the separated position. That is, it is possible to appropriately switch power transmission between the motor 40 and the upper tray 56.

  In the above embodiment, the carriage 29 also serves as a gear moving means for moving the gear 46. Therefore, the cost of the apparatus can be reduced. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the gear 46 may be displaced by other means.

  In the above embodiment, the gap adjusting means 34 performs the gap adjustment using the lever-like member 51 that displaces the gear 46, that is, the lever-like member 51 is used for both the gap adjustment and the power transmission switching. Therefore, the cost of the apparatus can be reduced by sharing the constituent members.

  The intermittent rotation control mode described above is executed after the upper tray 56 is displaced from the retracted position to the abutting position. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and there is a possibility that the gear 46 may be displaced to the meshing position where the gear 46 is meshed. You may perform after an operation | movement, for example, a gap adjustment operation | movement.

  That is, since the lever-like member 51 is used for both power transmission switching between the motor 40 and the upper tray 56 and the gap adjustment, the gear 46 and the gear 47 are meshed during the gap adjustment. Further, there is a possibility that the tooth of the gear 46 and the tooth of the gear 47 are in strong contact with each other to generate a surface pressure. If the motor 40 is driven in this state, the upper tray 56 may be unintentionally displaced. Therefore, by executing the intermittent rotation control mode after the gap adjustment operation as described above, the upper tray 56 Unintended displacement motion can be prevented.

It goes without saying that the constituent elements described above are not limited to the disclosed contents, and can be changed as appropriate.
In particular, the drive target driven by the power source is not limited to the upper tray 56, and may be another drive target.
In addition, in the present embodiment, an ink cartridge is mounted on the carriage 29, which is a so-called on-carriage type, but the ink cartridge is provided independently of the carriage 29, and the ink cartridge and the recording head 30 are connected by an ink tube. A so-called off-carriage type may be used. In that case, the ink cartridge as the ink container may be provided inside the apparatus main body 2 or provided outside.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inkjet printer, 2 recording part (apparatus main body), 3 scanner part, 4 document cover, 5 operation panel, 6 manual feed cover, 7 manual feed tray, 8 discharge receiving tray, 10 feeding roller, 11 swing member, 11a cam follower , 12 Rotating shaft, 16 Separation slope, 17 Intermediate roller, 19-21 Driven roller, 24 Transport drive roller, 25 Transport driven roller, 28 Support member, 29 Carriage, 30 Recording head, 31 Discharge drive roller, 32 Discharge driven roller , 33 frame, 34 gap adjusting means, 35 slider, 35b protrusion, 36 gap adjusting cam, 36a stepped cam surface, 37 supported portion, 39 power transmission switching means, 40 motor, 41-45 gear, 46 gear (second gear) Gear), 47 gear (first gear), 48 rotations Shaft, 49 Pinion gear, 50 Rotating shaft, 51 Lever-like member, 56 Upper tray, 56a Bottom, 56b Rack, 57a, 57b, 57c Edge guide, 58 High friction material, 59 Cover, 60 Lower tray, 60a Bottom 70, control unit, P, P1, P2 recording paper

Claims (5)

A first gear for driving the driven object;
The drive target is provided so as to be displaceable between a meshing position that meshes with the first gear and a separation position that is separated from the first gear, and rotates in the first direction at the meshing position, whereby the drive target is the target of the drive target. A second gear driven by a power source that moves to a travel limit position;
A gear moving means for moving the second gear from the separated position to the meshing position and positioning the second gear at the meshing position, comprising a recording head for recording on a recording medium, and a carriage that moves in a predetermined direction;
It is provided so as to be able to advance and retreat with respect to the movement region of the carriage and to be displaced in the displacement direction of the second gear, and is interposed between the carriage and the second gear in a state where it has advanced into the movement region of the carriage, A lever-like member that displaces the second gear as the carriage moves;
The second gear is intermittently rotated in a second direction, which is opposite to the first direction, in a state where the gear moving means releases the positioning state from the state where the second gear is positioned at the meshing position. Control means for executing a control mode for controlling the power source so as to
With
A recording apparatus for recording on a recording medium. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the power source is located in a movement area of the carriage.
A recording apparatus. The recording apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein a support member that supports a recording medium in a region where recording is performed by the recording head;
A gap adjusting means provided on the carriage for adjusting a gap between the recording head and the support member ;
With
The gap adjusting means is provided at a position engageable with the lever-shaped member in the carriage, and has a configuration for adjusting the gap by moving the carriage in a state of being engaged with the lever-shaped member.
A recording apparatus. 4. The recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the control unit executes the control mode after the gap is adjusted by moving the carriage in a state where the gap adjusting unit is engaged with the lever-shaped member. To
A recording apparatus. The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a lower tray for storing a recording medium;
An upper tray that accommodates a recording medium and is positioned above the lower tray and is slidably displaced along the feeding direction of the recording medium.
The drive target is the upper tray.
A recording apparatus.

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