JP5962483B2 - Feeding device and image recording device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a feeding apparatus that has a tray that can be pulled out and pushed into the apparatus main body, and that can feed sheets from the tray to the apparatus main body, and an image recording apparatus that includes the feeding apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a feeding device that includes a tray on which a sheet can be placed, and feeds a sheet from the tray to the apparatus main body in a state where the tray is mounted on an apparatus main body such as an image recording apparatus. In the feeding device, the sheet placed on the tray is fed to the apparatus main body by the rotation of the feeding roller in contact with the upper surface of the sheet. Usually, the feeding roller is attached to a feeding unit disposed above the tray in the apparatus main body.

  Many trays have a protrusion at the downstream end in the feed direction. This protrusion has a function of preventing the sheet placed on the tray from dropping from the downstream end when the tray is removed from the apparatus main body. Patent Document 1 discloses a paper feeding device in which a separation plate as a projecting portion having the function is provided at the downstream end of a tray in the sheet feeding direction.

JP 2006-117339 A

  When the tray is pulled out from the apparatus main body, the protruding portion may come into contact with the feeding unit. When the protruding portion comes into contact with the feeding unit, the protruding portion is caught by the feeding unit, and there is a possibility that the tray cannot be pulled out from the apparatus main body any more. As a configuration capable of solving such a problem, a configuration is conceivable in which the feeding unit can move upward from the protruding portion when the tray is pulled out from the apparatus main body.

  However, even when a configuration in which the feeding unit is movable above the protruding portion is adopted, the feeding unit has been moved upward from the protruding portion due to a recent demand for downsizing of an apparatus such as an image recording apparatus. If the distance from the feeding unit is kept small, the vicinity of the upper end of the protruding portion may come into contact with the feeding unit when the tray is pulled out from the apparatus main body due to deterioration of the protruding portion and the feeding unit over time. As a result, the protrusion is caught by the feeding unit, and there is a possibility that the tray cannot be pulled out from the apparatus main body any more.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide means for properly pulling out the tray from the apparatus main body.

(1) A feeding apparatus according to the present invention feeds an apparatus main body, a tray having a support plate that can be pulled out and pushed into the apparatus main body and supporting a sheet, and a sheet supported by the support plate. And a feeding unit that performs. The feeding unit includes a roller that can contact and separate from the support plate, a support unit that is provided above the support plate and supports the roller in a rotatable manner, and a downstream side of the roller in a direction in which the tray is pulled out. A shaft portion that swingably supports the support portion in a direction in which the roller is in contact with and away from the support plate, and when the tray is pulled out from the apparatus main body, the roller is And a swinging part that swings the support part in a direction away from the support plate. The tray is an upstream end of the support plate in the pull-out direction when mounted on the apparatus main body, and the support portion is disposed in a width direction orthogonal to the pull-out direction. At least a part thereof is included therein, and a protruding portion protruding from the support plate is provided. The protruding portion protrudes above the lower end of the supporting portion at the same position as the protruding portion in the width direction, and is on the protruding tip side of the downstream surface that is the downstream surface of the protruding portion in the pulling direction. The inclination angle with respect to the drawing direction is larger than the inclination angle with respect to the drawing direction on the protruding base end side of the downstream surface.

  According to this configuration, the inclination angle of the protruding portion with respect to the pulling direction on the protruding front end side is larger than the inclination angle of the protruding portion with respect to the pulling direction on the protruding base end side. Therefore, when the tray is pulled out from the apparatus main body, even if the support portion is swung by the swinging portion, if the support portion and the protruding portion are in contact with each other, the support portion is inclined at the protruding tip side with a large inclination angle. You can get over the protrusion along the surface.

  On the other hand, according to this configuration, the inclination angle of the protruding portion with respect to the pulling direction on the protruding base end side is smaller than the inclination angle of the protruding portion with respect to the pulling direction on the protruding tip side. For this reason, the sheet supported by the tray is blocked by the protruding proximal end with a small inclination angle and cannot get over the protruding portion. As a result, the possibility that the sheet supported by the tray falls from the tray can be reduced.

  That is, according to this configuration, it is possible to appropriately perform the drawing of the tray from the apparatus main body while maintaining a low possibility that the sheet supported by the tray will fall from the tray.

(2) The swinging portion is provided at an end of the tray in the width direction, and is at least continuous with the first upper surface and the first upper surface in the pulling direction and is higher than the first upper surface. A wall portion having a second upper surface having a different thickness; an extension portion extending from the support portion toward the wall portion; and an extension tip portion of the extension portion. And a supported portion supported by the upper surface and the second upper surface.

  According to this configuration, when the tray is pulled out with respect to the apparatus main body, the support portion swings by switching the surface supporting the supported portion between the first upper surface and the second upper surface. However, according to this configuration, in the feeding portion, the support portion that contacts the protruding portion and the supported portion that is supported by the wall portion are separated from each other via the extending portion in the width direction. Therefore, when the surface which supports a to-be-supported part switches between a 1st upper surface and a 2nd upper surface, there exists a possibility that an extension part may twist. And if an extension part twists, possibility that a support part and a projection part will contact will become high. However, according to this configuration, as described in the above (1), the support portion can get over the protruding portion along the inclined surface on the protruding tip side having a large inclination angle. That is, this configuration is a preferable application example of the above (1).

(3) The downstream surface has a stepped shape in which the protruding distal end side is upstream of the protruding proximal end side in the drawing direction. According to this configuration, the sheet supported by the tray is blocked by the step of the step-shaped protrusion and cannot get over the protrusion. As a result, the possibility that the sheet supported by the tray falls from the tray can be reduced.

(4) The contact surface that contacts the downstream surface in the support portion has a curved shape. When the downstream surface of the projecting portion has a stepped shape, even if the inclination angle of the downstream surface with respect to the pulling direction is small, the support portion can get over the projecting portion if the support portion comes into contact with the step of the staircase from the front. It may not be possible. Therefore, in this configuration, the contact surface that contacts the downstream surface in the support portion has a curved shape. Therefore, the support portion can get over the protruding portion.

(5) The downstream surface is provided on the projecting base end side and has a first gradient portion whose tilt angle with respect to the pulling direction is a first angle, and the tilting surface provided on the projecting tip side and tilting with respect to the pulling direction. A second gradient portion having a second angle that is larger than the first angle.

  In the downstream surface, when the inclination angle with respect to the drawing direction is gradually increased as approaching the protruding tip side, the length along the drawing direction of the protruding portion becomes long. According to this configuration, since the inclination angle of the downstream surface is set in two stages, the length along the pull-out direction of the protruding portion can be kept short.

(6) The length along the inclination direction of the first gradient portion is longer than the length along the inclination direction of the second gradient portion. According to this configuration, the length along the inclination direction of the first gradient portion with a small inclination angle with respect to the pulling direction is longer than the length along the inclination direction of the second gradient portion with a large inclination angle with respect to the pulling direction. The possibility that the sheet supported by the tray falls from the tray can be reduced.

(7) The first gradient portion and the second gradient portion have a stepped shape in which the protruding tip side is upstream of the protruding base side with respect to the protruding base end side. The step of the staircase of the second gradient portion is smaller than the step of the staircase of the first gradient portion. According to this structure, since the level | step difference of a 2nd gradient part is small, a support part can get over a 2nd gradient part easily.

(8) The normal line at the contact point between the support portion and the downstream surface passes through the opposite side of the shaft portion with respect to the support plate. According to this configuration, the support portion and the protruding portion are configured so that the normal line passes through the opposite side of the shaft portion with respect to the support plate. For this reason, in the process in which the tray is pulled out from the apparatus main body, when the projecting part comes into contact with the support part, the force that the projecting part pushes the support part in the pulling direction swings in the direction in which the support part separates from the support plate Acts as a force to As a result, when the support part gets over the protrusion part, the possibility that the support part is caught by the protrusion part can be reduced.

(9) The feeding device according to the present invention further includes a motor for driving the roller. The support unit includes a drive transmission unit that transmits a driving force from the motor to the roller. In order to drive the roller, it is necessary to transmit the driving force from the motor by the drive transmission unit. Therefore, a support part provided with a drive transmission part is required. Therefore, this configuration is a preferred application example of the present invention.

(10) The feeding device according to the present invention further includes a second protruding portion that protrudes at a position different from the protruding portion in the width direction at the upstream end position of the support plate in the drawing direction. Prepare. The inclination angle of the downstream surface of the second protrusion with respect to the extraction direction with respect to the extraction direction is smaller and constant than the inclination angle with respect to the extraction direction of the protrusion on the downstream side of the protrusion.

  According to this configuration, since the feeding device is provided with the second projecting portion in addition to the projecting portion, the possibility that the sheet supported by the tray falls from the tray can be reduced.

(11) The feeding device according to the present invention is disposed above the tray, and is located at a lower position than the first position and a first position that constitutes a lower side of the sheet conveying path, and the conveying mechanism. A rotation member that rotates between second positions that do not constitute the lower side of the path is further provided. The rotating member rotates from the first position to the second position when the tray is pulled out from the apparatus main body, and when the tray rotates from the first position to the second position. It contacts the protrusion and the second protrusion. The second protrusion is provided downstream of the protrusion in the pulling direction.

  According to this configuration, in the process in which the tray is pulled out from the apparatus main body, the rotating member first comes into contact with the second protrusion, and then comes into contact with the protrusion. As described above, since the rotating member abuts on the second projecting portion and the projecting portion in stages, the possibility that the rotating member, the projecting portion, and the second projecting portion are damaged at the time of mutual contact is reduced. Can do. Moreover, since the rotating member abuts on the second projecting portion and the projecting portion in stages, the rotating member can easily get over the projecting portion and the second projecting portion.

(12) A feeding apparatus according to the present invention feeds an apparatus main body, a tray having a support plate that can be pulled out and pushed into the apparatus main body and supporting the sheet, and a sheet supported by the support plate. A feeding section, and the feeding section includes a roller capable of contacting and separating from the support plate, a support section provided above the support plate and rotatably supporting the roller, and the roller. Is provided on the downstream side of the support plate in the pull-out direction, and a shaft portion that swingably supports the support portion in a direction in which the roller contacts and separates from the support plate, and the tray includes the apparatus main body. And a swinging part that swings the support part in a direction in which the roller is separated from the support plate when pulled out from the support plate, and the tray is mounted on the apparatus main body in the support plate. Above drawer direction At least a part is included in an area on the upstream side and the support portion is arranged in the width direction orthogonal to the pulling direction, and includes a protrusion protruding from the support plate, The support portion is located in a region where the support plate is arranged in the drawing direction and the width direction, and the protrusion portion is located above the lower end of the support portion at the same position as the protrusion portion in the width direction. The angle of inclination of the downstream surface, which is the downstream side of the protruding portion of the protruding portion, with respect to the protruding direction of the protruding portion with respect to the extracting direction is greater than the inclination angle of the protruding base end side of the downstream surface with respect to the extracting direction. It can be large.

(13) The present invention is an image recording apparatus comprising: the feeding device; and a recording unit that is provided above the feeding unit and records an image on a sheet fed by the feeding unit. Can also be taken as. When the recording unit is provided above the feeding unit, a sufficient space cannot be provided above the feeding unit. Therefore, when the support unit swings away from the support plate by the swinging unit. Even if it exists, possibility that a support part and a protrusion part contact will become high. However, according to this configuration, as described in the above (1), the support portion can get over the protruding portion along the inclined surface on the protruding tip side having a large inclination angle. That is, this configuration is a preferable application example of the above (1).

  According to the present invention, when the protruding portion and the supporting portion come into contact with each other when the tray is pulled out from the apparatus main body, the supporting portion can get over the protruding portion along the inclined surface on the protruding tip side having a large inclination angle. . Therefore, according to the present invention, the tray can be properly pulled out from the apparatus main body.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the multifunction machine 10. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the paper feed tray 20. FIG. 3A is a longitudinal sectional view of the second inclined plate 73, and FIG. 3B is a longitudinal sectional view of the first inclined plate 76. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the first inclined plate 76 and the feeding unit 28. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the paper feed tray 20 and the feeding unit 28. FIG. 6 is a rear view of the sheet feeding tray 20 and the feeding unit 28. FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the sheet feeding tray 20 cut vertically to show the left side surface of the second inclined plate 73, and shows a state where the flap 70 and the second inclined plate 73 are not in contact with each other. . FIG. 8A is a vertical cross-sectional view of the sheet feeding tray 20 cut vertically to show the right side surface of the first inclined plate 76, and shows a state where the flap 70 and the first inclined plate 76 are not in contact with each other. FIG. 8B is a longitudinal sectional view of the sheet feeding tray 20 cut vertically to show the left side surface of the second inclined plate 73, and the flap 70 and the second inclined plate 73 are in contact with each other. The state is shown. FIG. 9A is a vertical cross-sectional view of the sheet feeding tray 20 cut vertically to show the right side surface of the first inclined plate 76, and shows a state in which the flap 70 and the first inclined plate 76 are in contact with each other. FIG. 9B is a longitudinal sectional view of the sheet feeding tray 20 cut vertically to show the left side surface of the second inclined plate 73, and the flap 70 and the second inclined plate 73 are in contact with each other. The state is shown. FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view of the housing 14 and the paper feed tray 20. FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the internal structure of the multifunction machine 10. FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the paper feed tray 20, the inclined guide member 34, and the outer guide member 18.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as appropriate. The embodiment described below is merely an example of the present invention, and it is needless to say that the embodiment of the present invention can be changed as appropriate without departing from the gist of the present invention. Further, in the following description, the progress from the starting point of the arrow to the ending point is expressed as “direction”, and the traffic on the line connecting the starting point and the ending point of the arrow is expressed as “direction”. Further, in the following description, the vertical direction 7 is defined with reference to a state in which the multifunction machine 10 is installed so as to be usable (the state in FIG. 1), and the side in which the opening 13 is formed is the front side (front side). 8 is defined, and the left-right direction 9 is defined when the multifunction machine 10 is viewed from the front side.

[Overall structure of MFP 10]
As shown in FIG. 1, the multifunction machine 10 (an example of the image recording apparatus of the present invention) is generally formed in a rectangular parallelepiped and includes a casing 14 (an example of the apparatus main body of the present invention). The multifunction machine 10 has various functions such as a facsimile function and a print function. Here, the print function is a function of recording an image on at least one surface of the recording paper 12 (an example of the sheet of the present invention, see FIG. 11). In the present embodiment, the multifunction machine 10 has a function of recording images on both sides of the recording paper 12 as a print function.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 10, an opening 13 is formed on the front surface of the housing 14. A paper feed tray 20 (an example of the tray of the present invention), which will be described later and can be supported in a state where the recording paper 12 is stacked, can be pulled out and pushed into the housing 14 by sliding in the front-rear direction 8. In FIG. 1, the paper feed tray 20 is provided in two upper and lower stages. However, in the following description, only the upper paper feed tray 20 is referred to, and the description of the lower paper feed tray 20 is omitted. To do.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, a feeding device of the present invention, a pair of conveying rollers 57, a pair of discharge rollers 58, a pair of re-conveying rollers 59, a recording unit 24, and the like are arranged inside the housing 14. ing. Here, the feeding device includes a paper feeding tray 20, a feeding unit 28 provided above the paper feeding tray 20 that is pushed into the casing 14 and mounted, and a lower part of the recording unit 24, and a flap 70 (main book). An example of the rotating member of the invention).

  The recording paper 12 supported on the bottom plate 75 of the paper feed tray 20 (an example of the support plate of the present invention, see FIG. 2) is transported through a transport path 65 described later by a feed unit 28 and a transport roller pair 57 described later. . The recording sheet 12 being conveyed is image-recorded by the recording unit 24. The recording paper 12 on which the image has been recorded is discharged to a paper discharge tray 21 provided above the paper feed tray 20 by a discharge roller pair 58 and a re-conveyance roller pair 59. The paper discharge tray 21 slides in the front-rear direction 8 together with the paper feed tray 20.

  A conveyance path 65 extends from the rear end portion of the paper feed tray 20 that is mounted on the housing 14. The conveyance path 65 includes a curved portion and a straight portion. The recording paper 12 placed on the paper feed tray 20 is conveyed so as to make a U-turn from the lower part to the upper part of the curved part, and then conveyed along the straight part to the recording part 24. The recording paper 12 on which image recording has been performed by the recording unit 24 is conveyed through the linear portion and discharged to the paper discharge tray 21. That is, the recording paper 12 is conveyed in the conveyance direction 65 (indicated by a dashed line arrow in FIG. 11), which is a direction from the rear end of the paper feed tray 20 to the paper discharge tray 21 through the recording unit 24. In the direction of The conveyance path 65 is formed by the outer guide member 18 and the inner guide member 19.

  A conveyance roller pair 57 including a conveyance roller 60 and a pinch roller 61 is provided on the conveyance path 65 upstream of the recording unit 24 in the conveyance direction 15, and a discharge roller 62 is disposed downstream of the recording unit 24 in the conveyance direction 15. Further, a pair of discharge rollers 58 including a spur 63 is provided, and a pair of re-transport rollers 59 including a re-transport roller 43 and a spur 44 are provided downstream of the discharge roller pair 58 in the transport direction 15. Each roller pair 57, 58, 59 holds the recording paper 12. Each of the rollers 60, 62, and 43 is rotated by a forward / reverse driving force applied from a motor (not shown). Each of the rollers 60, 62, and 43 to which the normal driving force is applied rotates in the direction in which the recording paper 12 is conveyed in the conveyance direction 15. Accordingly, the conveyance roller pair 57 conveys the recording paper 12 toward the recording unit 24. Further, the discharge roller pair 58 conveys the recording paper 12 toward the re-conveyance roller pair 59. The re-conveying roller pair 59 discharges the recording paper 12 to the paper discharge tray 21. Each of the rollers 60, 62, and 43 to which the reverse driving force is applied rotates in a direction in which the recording paper 12 is conveyed in a direction opposite to the conveyance direction 15.

  A branch position 37 exists between the discharge roller 62 and the re-transport roller 43 in the transport path 65. During double-sided image recording, the recording paper 12 conveyed through the conveyance path 65 is switched back downstream of the branch position 37 and conveyed toward a reverse conveyance path 67 described later.

  A recording unit 24 is provided above the conveyance path 65. In the present embodiment, the recording unit 24 records an image on the recording paper 12 that is fed to the conveyance path 65 by the feeding unit 28 and conveyed through the conveyance path 65 by the conveyance roller pair 57 by an inkjet method. Note that the method by which the recording unit 24 records an image on the recording paper 12 is not limited to the ink jet method, and may be another known method such as an electrophotographic method.

[Paper Tray 20]
As described above, the paper feed tray 20 can be pulled out and pushed into the housing 14 through the opening 13 by sliding in the front-rear direction 8 (see FIG. 10). As shown in FIG. 10A, the paper feed tray 20 is disposed on the lower side of the recording unit 24 in a state where it is mounted on the housing 14.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the paper feed tray 20 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape with the upper side opened. The paper feed tray 20 includes a bottom plate 75 that supports the recording paper 12 in a stacked state, a first inclined plate 76 (an example of a protruding portion of the present invention) and a second inclined plate that are erected from the rear end of the bottom plate 75. 73, a right side plate 77 and a left side plate 78 (an example of the wall portion of the present invention) erected from both ends of the left and right direction 9 (an example of the width direction of the present invention) of the bottom plate 75, and a front end portion of the bottom plate 75. And a front plate 74 that is erected.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the upper surface 71 of the left side plate 78 includes a high surface 79 (an example of a first upper surface of the present invention) and a low surface 80 (a first surface of the present invention) positioned lower than the high surface 79. 2). The high surface 79 is provided on the rear side of the low surface 80, that is, on the upstream side in the drawing direction of the paper feed tray 20. An inclined surface 72 is provided between the high surface 79 and the low surface 80, and the high surface 79 and the low surface 80 are connected via the inclined surface 72. That is, the high surface 79 and the low surface 80 are continuous in the front-rear direction 8, which is the same direction as the pull-out direction of the paper feed tray 20, in other words, in the front-rear direction 8, which is a direction orthogonal to the left-right direction 9. In contrast to the above, it goes without saying that the high surface 79 may be an example of the second upper surface of the present invention and the lower surface 80 may be the first upper surface of the present invention.

[Feeding unit 28]
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a feeding unit 28 is provided above the bottom plate 75 of the sheet feeding tray 20 mounted on the housing 14. The feeding unit 28 includes a paper feed roller 25 (an example of the roller of the present invention), an arm 26 (an example of the support unit of the present invention), and a shaft 27 (an example of the shaft unit of the present invention).

  The shaft 27 of the feeding unit 28 extends in the left-right direction 9. In the present embodiment, the shaft 27 of the feeding unit 28 is inserted into a protrusion 31 protruding leftward from the left end of the feeding unit 28 and a hole 32 formed coaxially with the protrusion 31 at the right end of the feeding unit 28. The drive shaft 30 is configured. The protrusion 31 is inserted into a hole (not shown) formed in the housing 14, and the hole 32 is connected to a drive transmission gear or the like in the housing 14 and extends in the left-right direction 9. Is held rotatably. As a result, the shaft 27 of the feeding unit 28 is rotatably supported by the housing 14.

  The arm 26 extends rearward and obliquely downward from the end of the feeding unit 28 on the side where the shaft 27 is formed. The arm 26 rotatably supports the paper feed roller 25 at its extended tip. Two paper feed rollers 25 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction 9, and are connected by a rotation shaft of the paper feed roller 25. The rotating shaft is rotatably supported by the arm 26. That is, the shaft 27 of the feeding unit 28 is provided downstream of the paper feed roller 25 in the drawing direction of the paper feed tray 20, that is, on the front side of the paper feed roller 25.

  Further, the arm 26 rotates around the shaft 27 and the drive shaft 30 of the feeding unit 28 in the direction of the arrow 69 (see FIG. 4A). That is, the arm 26 is supported by the drive shaft 30 so as to be swingable in the direction of the arrow 69. As described above, the drive shaft 30 supports the arm 26 so that the arm 26 can swing in a direction in which the paper feed roller 25 contacts and separates from the bottom plate 75. The arm 26 is oscillated and biased toward the paper feed tray 20 side, that is, the side in contact with the bottom plate 75 by its own weight or an elastic force by a spring or the like.

  In the present embodiment, the arm 26 is located in the arrangement area of the bottom plate 75 in the front-rear direction 8 and the left-right direction 9, but a part of the arm 26 may be located outside the arrangement area.

  As described above, the paper feed roller 25 can be brought into and out of contact with the bottom plate 75 by the swing of the arm 26. The sheet feeding roller 25 is rotated by a driving force applied from a motor (not shown, the same motor as the motor for applying driving force to each of the rollers 60, 62, and 43 described above, or another motor may be used). To do. The motor that applies the driving force to the paper feed roller 25 is an example of the motor of the present invention. The sheet feeding roller 25 is located between the first inclined plate 76 and the second inclined plate 73 in the left-right direction 9. Specifically, the left paper supply roller 25 is located on the right side of the right end of the first inclined plate 76, and the right paper supply roller 25 is located on the left side of the left end of the second inclined plate 73.

  The arm 26 includes a drive transmission unit (not shown) that transmits the driving force from the motor to the paper feed roller 25. In the present embodiment, the drive transmission unit is formed in the housing 14 and is inserted into the hole 32 of the feeding unit 28. The drive shaft 30 is rotated by a driving force applied from the motor. And a belt stretched between the rotation shaft of the paper feed roller 25. The drive transmission unit is not limited to a belt. For example, the drive transmission unit is at least one formed so as to mesh with each other between a shaft formed in the housing 14 and inserted through the hole 32 of the feeding unit 28 and a shaft of the paper feed roller 25. There may be one gear.

  The paper feed roller 25 rotates when the driving force from the motor is transmitted through the drive transmission unit. The paper feeding roller 25 picks up the recording paper 12 supported by the bottom plate 75 and sends it to the rear by rotating in contact with the recording paper 12 supported by the bottom plate 75. The recording paper 12 fed backward is brought into contact with the separation member 33 in FIGS. 11 and 12 and is separated into only one of the recording papers 12. Further, when the recording paper 12 is sent out by the paper feed roller 25, it is guided by the inclined guide member 34 (see FIG. 12) and sent to the transport path 65. That is, the paper feed roller 25 feeds the recording paper 12 to the transport path 65.

  When the paper feed tray 20 is pushed into and withdrawn from the housing 14, the paper feed roller 25 is moved toward the arrow 69 described above by a swing mechanism 68 (an example of a swing portion of the present invention) described in detail below. (See FIG. 4A).

  The swing mechanism 68 includes the above-described left side plate 78 of the paper feed tray 20, an extending portion 81 and a supported portion 82 provided in the feeding portion 28. The extending portion 81 extends from the front end portion of the arm 26 (specifically, a contact portion 83 described later) toward the left side, that is, toward the left side plate 78. The supported portion 82 extends in the same direction as the arm 26 from the left end portion of the extension portion 81, that is, the extension tip portion of the extension portion 81, that is, obliquely downward and rearward. The distal end portion of the supported portion 82 can contact the upper surface 71 (the high surface 79, the low surface 80, and the inclined surface 72) of the left side plate 78. That is, the supported portion 82 is supported by the upper surface 71 of the left side plate 78.

  When the supported portion 82 is supported by the high surface 79, the feeding portion 28 is swung upward in the direction of the arrow 69. On the other hand, when the supported portion 82 is supported by the lower surface 80, the feeding portion 28 is swung downward in the direction of the arrow 69.

  The arm 26 includes a contact portion 83. The contact portion 83 is provided on the extending portion 81 side in the left-right direction 9. The contact portion 83 is formed integrally with the arm 26 and extends rearward and downward from the drive shaft 30 side. The abutting portion 83 has a shorter length that extends obliquely rearward and downward than the portion of the arm 26 other than the abutting portion 83. An extended front end surface 85 (an example of the contact surface of the present invention) that is obliquely rearward and downward of the contact portion 83 is a front side surface 84 (an example of the downstream surface of the present invention) that is a front surface of the first inclined plate 76 described later. ). The contact part 83 is formed of a plate-like member, and the rear side is bent toward the rear upper side. Therefore, the extended front end surface 85, which is the lower surface of the contact portion 83, has a curved shape that protrudes obliquely downward rearward.

[First inclined plate 76]
As described above, the first inclined plate 76 is erected from the rear end portion of the bottom plate 75, that is, the upstream end portion of the bottom plate 75 in the drawing direction of the paper feed tray 20 (see FIGS. 2 and 5). . That is, the first inclined plate 76 protrudes from the bottom plate 75. As shown in FIG. 12, the paper feed tray 20 is mounted on the housing 14, and the paper feed roller 25 feeds the recording paper 12 supported by the paper feed tray 20 to a feedable position. When the paper tray 20 is positioned, the first inclined plate 76 is positioned behind the inclined guide member 34. That is, the inclined guide member 34 is provided with a recess capable of accommodating the first inclined member 76 and the second inclined member 73. When the paper feed tray 20 is inserted close to the mounting position, the first inclined member 34 is provided. The plate 76 and the second inclined plate 73 are accommodated in the recess and do not come into contact with the recording paper 12. However, in a state in which the paper feed tray 20 is pulled out from the position where paper can be fed, or in a state in which the paper feed tray is pulled out from the housing 14 more than that, the recording paper 12 supported by the paper feed tray 20 is removed. The tip and the first inclined member 76 can come into contact with each other. When the first inclined member 76 comes into contact with the leading end of the recording paper 12, the recording paper 12 can be prevented from moving further forward or jumping out of the paper feed tray 20.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, in the present embodiment, the position of the first inclined plate 76 in the left-right direction 9 is the same as the position of the contact portion 83 provided in the arm 26 in the left-right direction 9. The position is different from that of the arm 26 other than the contact portion 83. The first inclined portion 76 may be in the same position in the left-right direction 9 other than the contact portion 83 of the arm 26. That is, the first inclined plate 76 is at least partially included in the region where the arm 26 is disposed in the left-right direction 9. In other words, the contact portion 83 is located upstream of the first inclined plate 76 in the pulling direction in the state where the paper feed tray 20 is mounted.

  In the present embodiment, the position of the first inclined plate 76 in the left-right direction 9 is the same as that of the recording sheet 12 when the recording sheet 12 of the minimum size that can record an image in the multifunction machine 10 is placed on the bottom plate 75. At least a part is the same position. Thereby, in a state where the paper feed tray 20 is removed from the housing 14, the recording paper 12 supported by the bottom plate 75 of the paper feed tray 20 does not depend on the size, and the front side surface 84 of the first inclined plate 76. Can come into contact. Thereby, it can prevent falling from the 1st inclination board 76 side of the paper feed tray 20. FIG.

  In the present embodiment, the first inclined plate 76 is erected higher than the height of the lower end of the contact portion 83. Specifically, the first inclined plate 76 is erected at substantially the same height as the abutting portion 83 of the sheet feeding tray 20 that is swung upward. However, the first inclined plate 76 may stand upright at the same height as the lower end of the contact portion 83 or lower than the lower end height of the contact portion 83. Even in this case, the height of the feeding unit 28 swung upward due to the twisting of the extending part 81 or the like becomes lower than expected. It can abut against the inclined plate 76.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, the front side surface 84 of the first inclined plate 76, that is, the downstream side surface in the drawing direction of the paper feed tray 20 is inclined from the bottom plate 75 obliquely upward to the rear. And a staircase-shaped staircase portion 36 that is adjacent to the flat surface portion 35 and protrudes to the front side of the flat surface portion 35. Specifically, the front side surface 84 is formed with a flat surface portion 35 that is inclined such that the protruding front end side is the rear side of the protruding base end side, that is, the upstream side in the drawing direction of the paper feed tray 20. Adjacent to 35, a stepped portion 36 that forms a virtual plane parallel to the flat portion 35 is formed. The staircase portion 36 has a vertical surface perpendicular to the upper surface of the bottom plate 75 and a parallel surface perpendicular to the vertical surface and parallel to the upper surface of the bottom plate 75 on the downstream surface of the first inclined plate 76 in the drawing direction. It is provided continuously from the lower end to the upper end. Here, the inclination angle of the front side surface 84 with respect to the direction along the support surface of the recording paper 12 in the bottom plate 75, that is, the front-rear direction 8 is not constant. The inclination angle referred to here is an angle formed by an imaginary line connecting the intersection where the upper end of the vertical surface of the step shape and the front end of the parallel plane intersect with the front-rear direction 8 in a side view. Note that the virtual plane connecting a plurality of intersecting lines intersecting the vertical plane and the parallel plane, which are markedly different from the staircase, is parallel to the plane of the plane portion 35 and shifted to the front side.

  In the present embodiment, the front side surface 84 has a first gradient portion 86 on the protruding proximal end side of the first inclined plate 76 and an inclination angle different from the inclination angle of the first gradient portion 86, and the upper side of the first gradient portion 86. The first gradient portion 86 and the second gradient portion 87 that are continuous with each other. That is, the second gradient portion 87 is provided on the protruding tip side of the first inclined plate 76. An angle θ1 (an example of the second angle of the present invention) that is an inclination angle of the second gradient portion 87 with respect to the front-rear direction 8 is an angle θ2 that is an inclination angle of the first gradient portion 86 with respect to the front-rear direction 8. It is larger than (an example of the first angle of the present invention).

  In the present embodiment, on the front side surface 84, the length L1 along the inclination direction of the first gradient portion 86 is longer than the length L2 along the inclination direction of the second gradient portion 87. Although it is desirable that the length L1 is longer than the length L2, the length L1 may be equal to or less than the length L2.

  The front side surface 84 is preferably stepped, but the front side surface 84 may have a shape other than the step shape, for example, an inclined plane. Moreover, there may be no flat part 35 and all may be step shape.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the step L3 of the staircase of the second gradient portion 87 having a staircase shape is smaller than the step L4 of the staircase of the first gradient portion 86. Further, the length in the front-rear direction of the parallel surface of the first gradient part 86 is the same as the length in the front-rear direction of the parallel surface of the second gradient part 86. Therefore, the angle θ1 is larger than the angle θ2. The step L3 is desirably smaller than the step L4, but the step L3 may be the same as or larger than the step L4.

[Second inclined plate 73]
As described above, the second inclined plate 73 is erected on the rear end portion of the bottom plate 75, that is, the upstream end portion of the bottom plate 75 in the drawing direction of the paper feed tray 20 (see FIGS. 2 and 5). ). That is, the second inclined plate 73 protrudes from the bottom plate 75 in the same manner as the first inclined plate 76. In the present embodiment, the second inclined plate 73 protrudes to substantially the same height as the first inclined plate 76, but the height of the second inclined plate 73 may be higher than the first inclined plate 76. However, it may be low.

  As shown in FIG. 6, in the present embodiment, the second inclined plate 73 is provided at a position on the right side of the first inclined plate 76 in the left-right direction 9, that is, at a position different from the first inclined plate 76. Yes. In the present embodiment, the position of the second inclined plate 73 in the left-right direction 9 is the same as that of the first inclined plate 76, and the minimum size recording paper 12 that can record an image in the multifunction machine 10 is placed on the bottom plate 75. In this case, at least a part of the recording paper 12 is at the same position. Thereby, the front side surface 84 of the second inclined plate 73 and the recording paper 12 can come into contact with each other, and the paper can be prevented from dropping when the paper feed tray 20 is not attached.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the front side surface 88 of the second inclined plate 73, that is, the downstream side surface in the drawing direction of the paper feed tray 20 is a flat surface portion inclined obliquely rearward and upward from the bottom plate 75. 45 and a staircase-shaped staircase portion 46 that is adjacent to the flat surface portion 45 and protrudes to the front side of the flat surface portion 45. Specifically, the front side surface 84 is formed with a flat surface portion 45 that is inclined so that the protruding front end side is the rear side of the protruding base end side, that is, the upstream side in the drawing direction of the paper feed tray 20. Adjacent to 45, a stepped portion 46 that forms a virtual plane parallel to the flat portion 45 is formed. The staircase 46 has a vertical surface perpendicular to the upper surface of the bottom plate 75 and a parallel surface orthogonal to the vertical surface and parallel to the upper surface of the bottom plate 75 on the downstream surface of the first inclined plate 76 in the pulling direction. It is provided continuously from the lower end to the upper end. Here, the inclination angle of the front side surface 88 with respect to the direction along the support surface of the recording paper 12 in the bottom plate 75, that is, the front-rear direction 8 is constant. The inclination angle referred to here is an angle formed by an imaginary line connecting the intersection where the upper end of the vertical surface of the step shape and the front end of the parallel plane intersect with the front-rear direction 8 in the side view as in the first inclined member. is there. Note that the virtual plane connecting a plurality of intersecting lines intersecting the vertical plane and the parallel plane, which are markedly different from the staircase, is parallel to the plane of the plane portion 35 and shifted to the front side. Further, the angle θ3 that is the inclination angle of the front side surface 88 with respect to the front-rear direction 8 is smaller than the angle θ1 that is the inclination angle of the second gradient portion 87 with respect to the front-rear direction 8. In the present embodiment, the angle θ3 is the same as the angle θ2 that is the inclination angle of the first gradient portion 86 with respect to the front-rear direction 8.

  Further, the step of the staircase on the front side surface 88 is configured to be larger at the upper end portion of the front side surface 88 than at the upper end portion. Thereby, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the recording paper 12 supported by the bottom plate 75 will fall over the second inclined plate 73.

  The front side surface 88 of the second inclined plate 73 is more rearward than the front side surface 84 of the first inclined plate 76 in the front-rear direction 8, that is, more in the direction of pulling out the paper feed tray 20 than the front side surface 84 of the first inclined plate 76. It is provided on the downstream side. That is, the first inclined plate 76 and the second inclined plate 73 are both erected at the rear end portion of the bottom plate 75, but the front side surface 88 of the second inclined plate 73 is the front side surface 84 of the first inclined plate 76. It is provided at a position closer to the rear end of the bottom plate 75 than.

[Route switching unit 41 and reverse conveyance path 67]
As shown in FIG. 11, the path switching unit 41 is provided between the discharge roller pair 58 and the re-transport roller pair 59 in the transport path 65. The path switching unit 41 includes auxiliary rollers 47 and 48, a switching unit main body 49, and a shaft 50. The switching unit main body 49 extends from the shaft 50 in the conveying direction 15 and is pivotally supported by the shaft 50 so as to be rotatable. Spur-shaped auxiliary rollers 47 and 48 are rotatably supported by the switching unit main body 49.

  The switching portion main body 49 has a discharge posture (posture indicated by a broken line in FIG. 2) positioned above the inner guide member 19 and a reverse posture in which the extended end portion 49A enters below the upper surface of the inner guide member 19. (The posture shown by the solid line in FIG. 2). The switching unit main body 49 is in a reverse posture due to its own weight in a normal state, but rotates to a discharge posture when it is lifted by the recording paper 12 conveyed through the conveyance path 65. When the rear end 15 of the recording paper 12 in the transport direction 15 passes through the auxiliary roller 47, the switching unit main body 49 rotates from the discharge posture to the reverse posture by its own weight. Thereby, the rear end of the recording paper 12 is directed to the reverse conveyance path 67 (an example of the conveyance path of the present invention). In this state, when the reconveying roller 43 continues to rotate normally, the recording paper 12 is conveyed in the conveying direction 15 and discharged to the paper discharge tray 21. On the other hand, when the rotation direction of the re-conveying roller 43 is switched from normal rotation to reverse rotation, the recording paper 12 is conveyed in the direction opposite to the conveyance direction 15 and guided to the reverse conveyance path 67.

  The path switching unit 41 is not limited to that shown in the present embodiment as long as it can guide the recording paper 12 to the reverse conveyance path 67. For example, the path switching unit 41 may be provided on the inner guide member 19 between the discharge roller pair 58 and the re-transport roller pair 59. In this case, the path switching unit 41 is urged toward the outer guide member 18 side by a spring or the like in a normal state, and is pushed by the recording sheet 12 conveyed in the conveyance direction 15 from the recording unit 24 side through the conveyance path 65. As a result, it rotates downward.

  The reverse conveyance path 67 is a path that is branched from the conveyance path 65 at the branch position 37 and extends so as to merge with the conveyance path 65 at the merge position 38 on the upstream side in the conveyance direction 15 with respect to the conveyance roller pair 57. The reverse conveyance path 67 is a conveyance path through which the recording paper 12 having an image recorded on the first surface is conveyed by the recording unit 24. The recording paper 12 guided to the reverse conveyance path 67 by the reconveying roller pair 59 reaches the recording unit 24 again via the merge position 38. At this time, the recording paper 12 is in a state where the second surface, which is the back surface of the first surface, faces the recording unit 24. That is, the reverse conveyance path 67 is a conveyance path that reverses the recording paper 12 on which the image is recorded by the recording unit 24 and conveys the recording sheet 12 to the upstream side of the recording unit 24 again.

  The reverse conveyance path 67 is at least partially formed by a flap 70, a lower guide member 39, and an upper guide member 40 which will be described later. The flap 70 and the lower guide member 39 form the lower side of the reverse conveyance path 67. The upper guide member 40 faces the flap 70 and the lower guide member 39, and forms the upper side of the reverse conveyance path 67.

[Flap 70]
As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the flap 70 is disposed above the bottom plate 75 in a state where the paper feed tray 20 is mounted on the housing 14. The flap 70 is disposed in front of the feeding unit 28 in the front-rear direction 8. In the present embodiment, the flap 70 is supported by the shaft 29 of the re-conveying roller 43 and rotates around the shaft 29. Note that if the flap 70 extends substantially rearward from the shaft 29 in a state in which the paper feed tray 20 is mounted on the housing 14, the shaft 29 of the flap 70 can be moved by the re-transport roller 43. The shaft 29 may not be coaxial.

  The flap 70 is a substantially flat plate-like member whose length in the projecting direction from the left-right direction 9 and the shaft 29 is thicker than the length in the left-right direction 9 and the direction orthogonal to the projecting direction. The length of the flap 70 in the left-right direction 9 is longer than the length of the paper feed tray 20 in the left-right direction 9. Accordingly, the flap 70 is supported by the right side plate 77 and the left side plate 78 of the paper feed tray 20 and the paper discharge tray 21 in the process of inserting and removing the paper feed tray 20 from the housing 14.

  The flap 70 rotates about the shaft 29 between a first position shown in FIG. 10A and a second position shown by a broken line in FIG. 10B. That is, the flap 70 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow 89 in FIG.

  At the first position, the flap 70 is supported by the paper discharge tray 21 as will be described later, so that the flap 70 protrudes substantially rearward from the shaft 29. In the first position, the flap 70 forms a part of the lower side of the reverse conveyance path 67.

  In the second position, the flap 70 protrudes downward from the shaft 29 by its own weight when the support by the paper discharge tray 21 is released. That is, in the second position, the flap 70 has a rotating tip portion positioned below the first position and does not form the lower side of the conveyance path 65.

  In the case where the multifunction machine 10 records an image only on one side of the recording paper 12 as a print function, the multifunction machine 10 does not include the reverse conveyance path 67. In this case, the flap 70 may form a part of the lower side of the conveyance path 65 at the first position. In this case, the conveyance path 65 is an example of the conveyance path of the present invention.

[Drawer of paper feed tray 20]
Hereinafter, operations of the feeding unit 28 and the flap 70 when the paper feed tray 20 is pulled out from the housing 14 will be described.

  First, the operation of the feeding unit 28 will be described. In a state where the paper feed tray 20 is mounted on the casing 14 (see FIG. 10A), the supported portion 82 of the feeding portion 28 is the left side plate 78 of the paper feed tray 20 as shown in FIG. This is a position facing the lower surface 80 of the. Therefore, the feeding unit 28 is in a state of being swung to the bottom plate 75 side, that is, the lower side.

  When the paper tray 20 is pulled out from the housing 14 and the paper tray 20 moves forward, the upper surface 71 of the left side plate 78 slides with respect to the supported portion 82. As a result, the supported portion 82 comes into contact with the high surface 79 after contacting the inclined surface 72. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4A, the paper feed tray 20 is swung to the side away from the bottom plate 75, that is, the upper side.

  In this state, when the paper feed tray 20 further moves forward, the second gradient portion 87 of the front side surface 84 of the first inclined plate 76 is moved to the arm 26 of the feeding portion 28 as shown in FIG. It contacts with the extended front end surface 85 of. In the present embodiment, the distance in the side view between the intersection of the staircase portion 36 of the first inclined member 76 where the upper end of the vertical plane intersects the front end of the parallel plane and the intersection just above is the extended tip. It is extremely smaller than the length of the surface 85. Therefore, the contact portion 83 contacts the stepped portion 36 of the first inclined member 76 with the intersection as a contact point. At this time, the normal line 92 orthogonal to the tangent line 91 at the contact point 90 between the second gradient portion 87 and the extended tip end surface 85 passes through the opposite side of the shaft 27 with respect to the bottom plate 75. Thereby, the force by which the second gradient portion 87 pushes the extended distal end surface 85 forward acts as a force that swings the feeding portion 28 away from the bottom plate 75, that is, upward.

  As a result, when the paper feed tray 20 is moved further forward in a state where the second gradient portion 87 is in contact with the extended leading end surface 85, the feeding portion 28 is pushed by the second gradient portion 87. , Turn upwards. Then, as shown in FIG. 4C, the feeding unit 28 is supported from below by the upper end of the first inclined plate 87. From this state, when the paper feed tray 20 moves further forward, the first inclined plate 76 maintains a state in which the upper end thereof is in contact with the contact portion 83 while the contact portion extending along the front-rear direction 8. It slides against the lower surface of 83. When the first inclined plate 76 moves and is positioned in front of the contact portion 83, the feeding unit 28 is not supported by the first inclined plate 76 and rotates downward. As described above, the feeding unit 28 can get over the first inclined plate 76.

  Next, the operation of the flap 70 will be described. In a state where the paper feed tray 20 is mounted on the housing 14 (see FIG. 10A), the flap 70 is supported by the paper discharge tray 21 and thus is located at the first position.

  When the paper feed tray 20 starts to be pulled out from the housing 14 and the paper feed tray 28 moves further forward after the feeding unit 28 has passed over the first inclined plate 76, the upper surface of the paper discharge tray 21 has the flap 70. Slide against. When the rear end of the paper discharge tray 21 passes through the flap 70 by further moving the paper supply tray 20 forward, the flap 70 is released from the support by the paper discharge tray 21 and the right side plate 77 of the paper supply tray 20 is released. And it will be in the state supported by the left side board 78. FIG. Since the upper ends of the right side plate 77 and the left side plate 78 are located below the upper end of the paper discharge tray 21, the flap 70 rotates slightly below the first position.

  Thereafter, when the paper feed tray 20 further moves forward, the upper surface of the right side plate 77 and the upper surface 71 of the left side plate 78 slide with respect to the flap 70. At this time, as shown in FIG. 7, the height of the extended tip end portion of the flap 70 is substantially the same as the upper end portions of the first inclined plate 76 and the second inclined plate 73.

  When the paper feed tray 20 moves further forward from the state of FIG. 7, the extending tip of the flap 70 comes into contact with the front side 88 of the second inclined plate 73 as shown in FIG. 8B. As shown in FIG. 11, since the flap 70 is disposed on the front side of the feeding unit 28, the flap 70 is moved from the second inclined plate 73 by the feeding unit 28 overcoming the first inclined plate 76. After being positioned on the rear side, the second abutting plate 73 is contacted.

  As shown in FIG. 8 (B), when the leading end of the flap 70 comes into contact with the front side surface 88 of the second inclined plate 73, the extension of the flap 70 as shown in FIG. 8 (A). The tip portion is not in contact with the front side surface 84 (second gradient portion 87) of the first inclined plate 76. That is, the extended tip end portion of the flap 70 comes into contact with the second inclined plate 73 earlier than the first inclined plate 76. At this time, the flap 70 is released from the support by the right side plate 77 and the left side plate 78 and is supported by the second inclined plate 73.

  When the paper feed tray 20 further moves forward from the state of FIG. 8, the extended tip end portion of the flap 70 is added to the first inclined surface in addition to the front side surface 88 of the second inclined plate 73 as shown in FIG. 9. It also contacts the front side surface 84 (second gradient portion 87) of the plate 76 (see FIG. 9A). At this time, the flap 70 is in a state of being supported by the first inclined plate 76 and the second inclined plate 73.

  When the paper feed tray 20 further moves forward from the state of FIG. 9, the first inclined plate 76 and the second inclined plate 73 are positioned in front of the flap 70. Thereby, the support by the 1st inclination board 76 and the 2nd inclination board 73 is cancelled | released, and the flap 70 will be in the state which is not supported by any member. As a result, the flap 70 is rotated downward by its own weight and is positioned at the second position.

  As described above, the flap 70 rotates from the first position to the second position when the paper feed tray 20 is pulled out from the housing 14, and the flap 70 rotates from the first position to the second position. This is in contact with the first inclined plate 76 and the second inclined plate 73.

[Effect of the embodiment]
According to the present embodiment, the inclination angle of the leading end side of the first inclined plate 76 with respect to the pulling direction of the paper feed tray 20 is relative to the pulling direction of the paper feed tray 20 on the protruding base end side of the first inclined plate 76. Greater than tilt angle. Therefore, even when the arm 26 is swung by the swinging mechanism 68 when the paper feed tray 20 is pulled out from the housing 14, the arm 26 is tilted when the arm 26 and the first inclined plate 76 come into contact with each other. It is possible to get over the first inclined plate 76 along the front side surface 84 that is the inclined surface on the protruding tip side with a large angle.

  On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, the inclination angle of the protruding base end side of the first inclined plate 76 with respect to the pulling direction of the paper feeding tray 20 is the drawer of the paper feeding tray 20 on the protruding front end side of the first inclined plate 76. It is smaller than the inclination angle with respect to the direction. Therefore, the recording paper 12 supported by the paper feed tray 20 is blocked by the protruding proximal end side with a small inclination angle and cannot get over the first inclined plate 76. As a result, the possibility that the recording paper 12 supported by the paper feed tray 20 falls from the paper feed tray 20 can be reduced.

  In other words, according to the present embodiment, the recording paper 12 supported by the paper feed tray 20 is appropriately pulled out from the housing 14 while maintaining a low possibility of dropping from the paper feed tray 20. Can be executed.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, when the paper feed tray 20 is pulled out with respect to the housing 14, the surface that supports the supported portion 82 is switched between the high surface 79 and the low surface 80, whereby the arm 26. Swings. However, according to the present embodiment, in the feeding unit 28, the arm 26 that contacts the first inclined plate 76 and the supported portion 82 that is supported by the left side plate 78 have the extending portion 81 in the left-right direction 9. Are spaced apart. Therefore, when the surface that supports the supported portion 82 is switched between the high surface 79 and the low surface 80, the extending portion 81 may be twisted. And if the extension part 81 twists, possibility that the arm 26 and the 1st inclination board 76 will contact | abut becomes high. However, according to the present embodiment, as described above, the arm 26 can get over the first inclined plate 76 along the front side surface 84 that is the inclined surface on the protruding distal end side having a large inclination angle. That is, this embodiment is a preferred application example of the present invention.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the recording paper 12 supported by the paper feed tray 20 cannot be moved over the first inclined plate 76 due to the step of the first inclined plate 76 having a staircase shape. As a result, the possibility that the recording paper 12 supported by the paper feed tray 20 falls from the paper feed tray 20 can be reduced.

  Further, when the front side surface 84 of the first inclined plate 76 has a staircase shape, even when the inclination angle of the front side surface 84 with respect to the front-rear direction 8 is small, 26 may not be able to get over the first inclined plate 76. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the extended distal end surface 85 that contacts the front side surface 84 of the arm 26 has a curved shape. Therefore, the arm 26 can get over the first inclined plate 76.

  Further, in the front side surface 84, when the inclination angle with respect to the front-rear direction 8 is gradually increased as approaching the protruding tip side, the length of the first inclined plate 76 along the front-rear direction 8 becomes longer. According to this embodiment, since the inclination angle of the front side surface 84 is set in two stages, the length of the first inclined plate 76 along the front-rear direction 8 can be kept short.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the length L1 along the inclination direction of the first gradient portion 86 with a small inclination angle with respect to the front-rear direction 8 is in the inclination direction of the second gradient portion 87 with a large inclination angle with respect to the front-rear direction 8. Since it is longer than the length L2 along, the possibility that the recording paper 12 supported by the paper feed tray 20 falls from the paper feed tray 20 can be reduced.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, since the step of the second gradient portion 87 is small, the arm 26 can easily get over the second gradient portion 87.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the arm 26 and the first inclined plate 76 are configured so that the normal line 92 passes through the opposite side of the shaft 27 with respect to the bottom plate 75. Therefore, when the first inclined plate 76 comes into contact with the arm 26 in the process in which the paper feed tray 20 is pulled out from the housing 14, the force that the first inclined plate 76 pushes the arm 26 in the pulling direction is such that the arm 26 has a bottom plate. Acts as a force that swings away from 75. As a result, when the arm 26 gets over the first inclined plate 76, the possibility that the arm 26 is caught by the first inclined plate 76 can be reduced.

  Further, in order to drive the paper feed roller 25, it is necessary to transmit the driving force from the motor by the drive transmission unit. Therefore, the arm 26 provided with a drive transmission part is needed. Therefore, this embodiment is a preferred application example of the present invention.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, since the second inclined plate 73 is provided in addition to the first inclined plate 76 in the feeding device, the recording paper 12 supported by the paper supply tray 20 is supplied to the paper supply tray. The possibility of falling from 20 can be reduced.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, in the process in which the paper feed tray 20 is pulled out from the housing 14, the flap 70 first contacts the second inclined plate 73 and then contacts the first inclined plate 76. Thus, since the flap 70 contacts the second inclined plate 73 and the first inclined plate 76 in stages, the flap 70, the first inclined plate 76, and the second inclined plate 73 are damaged when they are in contact with each other. The possibility can be reduced. Further, since the flap 70 contacts the second inclined plate 73 and the first inclined plate 76 in a stepwise manner, the flap 70 can easily get over the first inclined plate 76 and the second inclined plate 73.

  Further, when the recording unit 24 is provided above the feeding unit 28, a sufficient space cannot be provided above the feeding unit 28, so that the arm 26 is separated from the bottom plate 75 by the swing mechanism 68. Even when the arm 26 is swung, the possibility that the arm 26 and the first inclined plate 76 come into contact with each other increases. However, according to the present embodiment, the arm 26 can get over the first inclined plate 76 along the front side surface 84 on the protruding distal end side having a large inclination angle. That is, this embodiment is a preferred application example of the present invention.

[Modification]
In the above-described embodiment, the front side surface 84 includes the first gradient portion 86 and the second gradient portion 87, and the angle θ <b> 1 with respect to the front-rear direction 8 of the second gradient portion 87 is the first gradient portion 86. It was larger than the angle θ2 with respect to the front-rear direction 8. That is, the inclination angle of the front side surface 84 with respect to the front-rear direction 8 changed in two steps. However, if the angle of inclination of the front side 84 with respect to the front-rear direction 8 on the protruding front end side is larger than the angle of inclination of the front side 84 with respect to the front-rear direction 8 on the protruding base end side, the inclination angle of the front side 84 with respect to the front-rear direction 8 is You may change in three steps or more.

  For example, the front side surface 84 may be curved so that the inclination angle with respect to the front-rear direction 8 gradually increases as it is closer to the protruding tip side. Even in this case, the front side surface 84 may have a stepped shape in which the protruding distal end side is the rear side of the protruding proximal end side.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Multifunction device 14 ... Housing 25 ... Paper feed roller 26 ... Arm 27 ... Shaft 28 ... Feeding part 68 ... Swing part 75 ... Bottom plate 73- ..Second inclined plate 76 ... first inclined plate 84 ... front side surface

Claims (13)

The device body;
A tray having a support plate that can be pulled out and pushed into the apparatus body and supports the sheet;
A feeding section that feeds a sheet supported by the support plate,
The feeding section is
A roller capable of contacting and separating from the support plate;
A support portion provided above the support plate and rotatably supporting the roller;
A shaft portion that is provided downstream of the roller in the direction of drawing out the tray, and that supports the support portion in a swingable manner in a direction in which the roller contacts and separates from the support plate;
An oscillating portion for oscillating the support portion in a direction in which the roller is separated from the support plate when the tray is pulled out from the apparatus main body,
The tray is
When mounted on the apparatus main body, at least one end of the support plate is located at an upstream end in the pull-out direction and in a region where the support portion is arranged in the width direction orthogonal to the pull-out direction. Including a protruding portion protruding from the support plate,
The protruding portion protrudes above the lower end of the supporting portion at the same position as the protruding portion in the width direction, and is on the protruding tip side of the downstream surface that is the downstream surface of the protruding portion in the pulling direction. the angle of inclination with respect to the drawer orientation is much larger than the angle of inclination with respect to the drawer facing the projecting base end side of the downstream face,
The support portion includes a contact portion that can contact the downstream surface in a state where the tray is swung by the swing portion when the tray is pulled out from the apparatus main body.
The projecting proximal end side of the downstream surface is closer to the support plate than the contact portion of the support portion swung by the swinging portion when the tray is pulled out from the apparatus main body. Close part,
The feeder front end side of the downstream surface is a feeding device that is a part of the downstream surface that is farther from the support plate than the projecting proximal end side of the downstream surface . The rocking part is
Provided at an end in the width direction of the tray, and has at least a first upper surface and a second upper surface that is continuous with the first upper surface in the drawing direction and has a different height from the first upper surface. The wall,
An extension part extending from the support part toward the wall part;
The feeding device according to claim 1, further comprising: a supported portion that is provided at an extending tip portion of the extending portion and is supported by the first upper surface and the second upper surface.   3. The feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the downstream surface has a stepped shape in which the protruding front end side is upstream of the protruding base end side in the drawing direction.   The feeding device according to claim 1, wherein a contact surface that contacts the downstream surface in the support portion has a curved shape.   The downstream surface is provided on the protruding base end side, and a first gradient portion having a first inclination angle with respect to the pulling direction, and is provided on the protruding tip side and has an inclination angle with respect to the pulling direction. The feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a second gradient portion having a second angle larger than the first angle.   The feeding device according to claim 5, wherein a length of the first gradient portion along the inclination direction is longer than a length of the second gradient portion along the inclination direction. The first gradient part and the second gradient part have a stepped shape in which the protruding tip side is upstream of the protruding base side than the protruding base side,
The feeding device according to claim 5 or 6, wherein a step of the step of the second gradient portion is smaller than a step of the step of the first gradient portion.   The feeding device according to claim 1, wherein a normal line at a contact point between the support portion and the downstream surface passes through a side opposite to the shaft portion with respect to the support plate. A motor for driving the roller;
The feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the support unit includes a drive transmission unit that transmits a driving force from the motor to the roller. A second projecting portion projecting at a position different from the projecting portion in the width direction at the upstream end position of the support plate in the drawing direction;
The inclination angle of the downstream surface of the second protrusion with respect to the extraction direction with respect to the extraction direction is smaller and constant than the inclination angle with respect to the extraction direction of the protrusion on the downstream side of the protrusion. Item 10. The feeding device according to any one of Items 1 to 9. Between the first position that is disposed above the tray and that constitutes the lower side of the sheet conveyance path and the second position that is located below the first position and does not constitute the lower side of the conveyance path A rotating member that rotates at
The rotating member rotates from the first position to the second position when the tray is pulled out from the apparatus main body, and when the tray rotates from the first position to the second position. Abutting against the protrusion and the second protrusion,
The feeding device according to claim 10, wherein the second projecting portion is provided downstream of the projecting portion in the drawing direction. The device body;
A tray having a support plate that can be pulled out and pushed into the apparatus body and supports the sheet;
A feeding section that feeds a sheet supported by the support plate,
The feeding section is
A roller capable of contacting and separating from the support plate;
A support portion provided above the support plate and rotatably supporting the roller;
A shaft portion that is provided on the downstream side of the support plate in the pull-out direction with respect to the roller, and that supports the support portion in a swingable manner in a direction in which the roller contacts and separates from the support plate;
An oscillating portion for oscillating the support portion in a direction in which the roller is separated from the support plate when the tray is pulled out from the apparatus main body,
The tray is
When mounted on the apparatus main body, at least one end of the support plate is located at an upstream end in the pull-out direction and in a region where the support portion is arranged in the width direction orthogonal to the pull-out direction. Including a protruding portion protruding from the support plate,
The support portion is located in an arrangement region of the support plate in the drawing direction and the width direction,
The protruding portion protrudes above the lower end of the supporting portion at the same position as the protruding portion in the width direction, and is on the protruding tip side of the downstream surface that is the downstream surface of the protruding portion in the pulling direction. the angle of inclination with respect to the drawer orientation is much larger than the angle of inclination with respect to the drawer facing the projecting base end side of the downstream face,
The support portion includes a contact portion that can contact the downstream surface in a state where the tray is swung by the swing portion when the tray is pulled out from the apparatus main body.
The projecting proximal end side of the downstream surface is closer to the support plate than the contact portion of the support portion swung by the swinging portion when the tray is pulled out from the apparatus main body. Close part,
The feeder front end side of the downstream surface is a feeding device that is a part of the downstream surface that is farther from the support plate than the projecting proximal end side of the downstream surface . A feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 12,
An image recording apparatus comprising: a recording unit that is provided above the feeding unit and that records an image on a sheet fed by the feeding unit.

Images