JP6028441B2 - Image recording apparatus and recording medium supply unit - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus for recording an image on a recording medium and a recording medium supply unit used therefor.

  There is an image recording apparatus in which a plurality of option feeders (recording medium supply units) can be sequentially attached to the lower part of the main body (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Further, a technique for preventing the fall prevention leg from being attached to and detached from the image recording apparatus and the image recording apparatus not operating when the fall prevention leg is not attached is known (for example, see Patent Document 2). .

JP 2004-59278 A JP-A-10-338366

  In Patent Document 1, when the option feeder is attached to the main body, the center of gravity of the entire recording apparatus is increased. As the center of gravity of the entire recording apparatus increases, the entire recording apparatus easily falls. At this time, by mounting the support member (stabilizer) on the option feeder mounted on the lowermost side, the center of gravity of the entire recording apparatus can be lowered, and the fall can be suppressed. In this regard, as in Patent Document 2, when the support member is not attached, it may be possible to prompt the user to attach the support member by not operating the apparatus. However, since the control unit detects whether or not the support member is mounted, the user cannot be prompted to mount the support member when the power is not turned on.

  An object of the present invention is that when a recording medium supply unit is mounted on the image recording unit main body and the center of gravity of the entire apparatus becomes higher than a predetermined level, a support member for preventing overturning is mounted without turning on the power. It is to provide an image recording apparatus and a recording medium supply unit that can easily grasp whether or not there is.

An image recording apparatus of the present invention has a first recess on the bottom surface, and houses an image recording unit main body for recording an image on a recording medium, and a plurality of recording media supplied to the image recording unit main body. A recording medium supply unit for supplying to the image recording unit main body, wherein the image recording unit main body and one or a plurality of the recording medium supply units are stacked in the vertical direction, or , and other of the recording medium supply unit recording medium supply unit one or more detachable to the bottom of a second recess in the top surface, and a detachable support member with respect to the bottom surface of the recording medium supply unit I have. The recording medium supply unit includes a casing and a moving member that is movable in a vertical direction with respect to the casing, and whose vertical length is longer than the vertical length of the casing. The moving member includes a first portion disposed at a position facing the first recess when the recording medium supply unit is mounted on a bottom surface of the image recording unit main body, and the support member supplies the recording medium. A second portion disposed at a position facing the second recess when mounted on the bottom surface of the unit, and the first portion is immersed in the housing while the first portion is in the housing. The image recording unit main body is movable between a first position protruding from a body and a second position where the second portion protrudes from the housing while the first portion is immersed in the housing. The one or more recording medium supply units When the number of the recording medium supply units is equal to or greater than a predetermined number and the support member is mounted on the bottom surface of the recording medium supply unit disposed at the lowest position, The second portion of the moving member related to the recording medium supply unit disposed in the second member is accommodated in the second recess of the support member, and the moving member related to the recording medium supply unit takes the second position. Accordingly, the moving members of all the recording medium supply units do not interfere with the image recording unit main body or the adjacent recording medium supply unit, and the image recording unit main body and the one or more recording media When the supply unit is in the mounted state, the number of the recording medium supply units is equal to or more than a predetermined number, and the front side of the bottom of the recording medium supply unit disposed at the lowermost position is When the support member is not mounted, the moving member related to the recording medium supply unit disposed at the lowest position takes the first position, so that the first of the moving members related to the recording medium supply unit. One part interferes with the recording medium supply unit adjacent to the upper part, or the first part of the moving member related to the recording medium supply unit disposed at the uppermost part interferes with the image recording unit main body, The image recording unit main body and the one or more recording medium supply units are configured to be in a non-mounted state.

  The recording medium supply unit of the present invention has a first recess formed on the bottom surface, is detachable from the bottom surface of the image recording unit main body for recording an image on the recording medium, and has a second recess formed on the top surface. A recording medium supply unit that can be attached to and detached from the upper surface of the housing, and is movable in a vertical direction with respect to the housing and the housing, and the vertical length is longer than the vertical length of the housing A moving member, wherein the moving member is disposed at a position facing the first recess when the recording medium supply unit is mounted on the bottom surface of the image recording unit main body, and A second portion disposed at a position facing the second recess when the support member is mounted on the bottom surface of the recording medium supply unit, and the first portion is immersed in the housing. While the second portion protrudes from the housing. Position, and a second position where the second portion is the first portion while immersed in the housing projects from the housing and is movable between the.

  According to the present invention, when a predetermined number or more of recording medium supply units are to be stacked on the image recording unit main body, the lowermost or upper side is provided if no support member is attached to the lowermost recording medium supply unit. The first part of the moving member related to the arranged recording medium supply unit interferes with the image recording unit main body or the adjacent recording medium supply unit, so that the image recording unit main body and the predetermined number or more of the recording medium supply units are not attached. It becomes. Therefore, the user can easily grasp whether or not the support member for preventing the fall is mounted without turning on the power.

1 is a schematic side view showing an internal structure of an ink jet printer according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the bottom face of the expansion paper supply unit shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing of the III-III line | wire shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows operation | movement of the moving member shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows operation | movement of the moving member shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of the ink jet printer illustrated in FIG. 1. It is a figure which shows the modification of the moving member shown in FIG. It is a schematic side view which shows the structure of the moving member of the inkjet printer by 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows operation | movement of the moving member shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows operation | movement of the moving member shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  An overall configuration of the inkjet printer 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the printer 100 includes an apparatus main body 101 that forms an image on paper P, and three additional paper supply units 80 that are configured to be detachable from the apparatus main body 101. These additional paper feed units 80 are connected in three stages in series along the vertical direction at the lower part of the apparatus main body 101, and are configured to be able to feed paper P to the apparatus main body 101.

  The apparatus main body 101 has a rectangular parallelepiped casing 101a. A main body discharge unit 4 is provided on the top of the casing 101a. A main body control unit 150 that controls each part of the apparatus main body 101, the head 1, the transport mechanism 40, the sensor 7, and the main body paper feed tray 10 are disposed in the internal space of the housing 101a. Further, a sheet conveyance path through which the sheet P is conveyed from the main body paper feed tray 10 toward the main body paper discharge unit 4 is formed in the housing 101a. In the apparatus main body 101, the main body paper feed tray 10, the head 1, and the main body paper discharge unit 4 are arranged in order from the lower side in the vertical direction. Thereby, in the apparatus main body 101, the recording medium is conveyed from the lower side to the upper side. A direction from the main body paper feed tray 10 toward the main body paper discharge unit 4 in the paper transport path is referred to as a recording medium transport direction.

A hole 104 and a paper feed connector 105 are provided on the bottom plate of the housing 101a. The paper feed connector 105 is connected to the second paper feed connector 87 when the second paper feed connector 87 is inserted. A mounting sensor 78 (see FIG. 6) is provided in the hole 104. The mounting sensor 78 is connected to the main body control unit 150. The mounting sensor 78 is a transmissive sensor, and a projection 195 of a stabilizer 190 (described later) or a positioning pin 81d of an additional sheet feeding unit 80 enters the hole 104 to detect the projection 195 or the positioning pin 81d, and a detection signal Is output to the main body control unit 150. Thus, also the stabilizer 190 in the lower portion of the apparatus main body 101 is whether the additional paper feeding unit 80 is mounted can be detected. Further, a sheet feeding port 106 through which the sheet P fed from the additional sheet feeding unit 80 passes is formed on the bottom plate of the housing 101a. Furthermore, the 1st recessed part 91 is formed in the baseplate of the housing | casing 101a (refer FIG. 3). The first concave portion 91 is disposed at a position facing an upper end portion 94a (described later) of the moving member 94 of the additional sheet feeding unit 80 mounted on the bottom surface of the apparatus main body 101, and has a shape capable of accommodating the upper end portion 94a. have. The length of the first recess 91 in the vertical direction is set to the distance l.

  The paper feed connector 105 is connected to the main body control unit 150 via connection lines 205b, 206, and 207 (see FIG. 6). By connecting the second sheet feeding connector 87 of the additional sheet feeding unit 80 to the sheet feeding connector 105, the main body control unit 150 and the sheet feeding control unit 170 of the additional sheet feeding unit 80 are communicably connected. Is done.

  The connection line 205b is a signal line for connecting only the paper feed connector 105 and the main body control unit 150, and is a signal line for transmitting connection confirmation data described later. The connection line 206 is a signal line for receiving later-described response data and unit data from the additional paper feed unit 80. A connection line 207 is a signal line for the apparatus main body 101 to transmit command data to be described later to the additional sheet feeding unit 80. The command data is data for causing the additional sheet feeding unit 80 to perform a specific processing operation.

  The head 1 is a line head having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the main scanning direction (described later). Black ink is ejected from the head 1. The head 1 is supported by the housing 101 a via the head holder 5. The head holder 5 holds the head 1 so that a predetermined gap suitable for recording is formed between the head 1 and the platen 6. A plurality of ejection openings for ejecting ink are opened on the lower surface (ejection surface 1 a) of the head 1.

  The main body paper feed tray 10 is detachable from the housing 101a. A plurality of paper sheets P can be stored in the main body paper feed tray 10.

  The transport mechanism 40 includes two guide portions 9 a and 9 b that guide the paper P, the platen 6, and the paper feed roller 12. The platen 6 is a flat plate member and is disposed at a position facing the ejection surface 1 a of the head 1. The paper feed roller 12 sends out the uppermost paper P in the main body paper feed tray 10.

  The two guide portions 9a and 9b are arranged with the platen 6 interposed therebetween in the transport direction. The guide portion 9a on the upstream side in the transport direction includes three guides 13a to 13c and two feed roller pairs 14 and 15. The two feed roller pairs 14 and 15 are arranged at appropriate intervals along the conveyance direction of the paper P. The guide 13a extends from the paper feed port 106 to the pair of feed rollers 14, and constitutes a transport path between them. The guide 13b extends from the main body sheet feeding tray 10 to a middle portion of the guide 13a, and constitutes a conveyance path between them. The guide 13c extends from the feed roller pair 14 to the feed roller pair 15 in the vicinity of the platen 6, and constitutes a conveyance path between them. With this configuration, the guide unit 9 a conveys the paper P from the main body paper feed tray 10 and the paper P from the additional paper feed unit 80 toward the platen 6.

The guide portion 9b on the downstream side in the transport direction has three guides 19a to 19c and three feed roller pairs 16 to 18. The three feed roller pairs 16 to 18 are arranged at appropriate intervals along the transport direction of the paper P. The guide 19a extends from the feed roller pair 16 to the feed roller pair 17, and constitutes a transport path between them. Guide 19b extends until the sheet discharge outlet from the feed rollers 17, constituting the conveying path between them. The guide 19c extends from an intermediate portion of the guide 19b to the feed roller pair 18 and constitutes a conveyance path between them. The main body discharge unit 4 is configured by a recess formed in the top plate of the housing 101a.

  The sub-scanning direction is a direction parallel and horizontal to the transport direction in which the paper P is transported by the feed roller pairs 15 and 16, and the main scanning direction is a direction parallel to the horizontal plane and perpendicular to the sub-scanning direction. is there.

  The sensor 7 is a displacement sensor and is fixed to the upper part of the main body paper feed tray 10. The sensor 7 detects the height of the paper P stored in the main body paper feed tray 10, and outputs a detection signal to the main body control unit 150. Accordingly, the main body control unit 150 can determine the number of sheets P in the main body paper feed tray 10 based on the detection signal.

  The apparatus main body 101 is detachably provided with an ink cartridge (not shown) that stores black ink supplied to the head 1. This ink cartridge is connected to the head 1 via a tube (not shown) and supplies ink to the head 1.

  The stabilizer 190 is configured to be attachable to the lower part of the apparatus main body 101 and the additional sheet feeding unit 80 attached to the apparatus main body 101. The stabilizer 190 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped casing 191 that spreads outward from the apparatus main body 101 and the additional sheet feeding unit 80 in plan view. The stabilizer 190 and the apparatus main body 101 or the additional paper feeding unit 80 can be fixed by a lock mechanism (not shown). By attaching such a stabilizer 190 to the apparatus main body 101 or the additional paper feeding unit 80, the printer 100 is stabilized and hardly falls down.

  A protrusion 195 and a second recess 92 (see FIG. 3) are formed on the upper surface of the stabilizer 190. The protrusion 195 is arranged in a position corresponding to a hole 81 c provided on the bottom surface of the additional sheet feeding unit 80 to be described later and a hole 104 of the apparatus main body 101 in the horizontal direction, and can be inserted into the hole 81 c and the hole 104. have. The second recessed portion 92 is disposed at a position facing a lower end portion 94b (described later) of the moving member 94 of the additional sheet feeding unit 80 attached to the stabilizer 190, and can accommodate the lower end portion 94b of the moving member 94. It has a shape. The length of the second recess 92 in the vertical direction is set to the distance l.

  Next, the extension sheet feeding unit 80 will be described. Since the three additional paper feed units 80 in the present embodiment have the same configuration, only one additional paper feed unit 80 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the additional paper feed unit 80 has a housing 81. In the housing 81, a paper feed tray 82, a guide unit 84, a sensor 85, a paper feed control unit 170, a moving member 94, and the like are arranged. The paper feed tray 82 is detachable from the housing 81. A plurality of sheets P can be stored in the sheet feed tray 82.

  The guide portion 84 includes two guides 88 a and 88 b, a paper feed roller 83, and a feed roller pair 89. The paper feed roller 83 sends out the uppermost paper P in the paper feed tray 82. The feed roller pair 89 is disposed in the vicinity of the paper discharge port 81a so that the paper P can be conveyed toward the paper discharge port 81a. The guide 88a extends from the paper feed port 81b to the feed roller pair 89 and constitutes a transport path between them. The guide 88b extends from the paper feed tray 82 to an intermediate portion of the guide 88a, and constitutes a conveyance path between them. With this configuration, the guide unit 84 transports the paper P from the paper feed tray 82 and the paper P from the other additional paper feed unit 80 toward the apparatus main body 101. In other words, the guide unit 84 conveys the paper P from below to above.

  Formed on the top plate of the housing 81 is a paper discharge port 81 a through which the paper P fed to the apparatus main body 101 or another additional paper supply unit 80 passes. Formed on the bottom plate of the housing 81 is a paper feed port 81b through which the paper P fed from the additional paper feed unit 80 positioned below passes.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the moving member 94 has a cylindrical shape bent in a crank shape. An upper end portion 94 a (first portion) of the moving member 94 is slidably held by a short cylindrical guide 95 fixed to the top plate of the housing 81. A lower end portion 94 b (second portion) of the moving member 94 is slidably held by a long cylindrical guide 96 fixed to the bottom plate of the housing 81. The extending direction of the cylinders in the guides 95 and 96 is the vertical direction. The moving member 94 has a first position (a position indicated by a broken line shown in FIG. 2B) where the upper end 94a protrudes from the casing 81 while the lower end 94b is immersed in the casing 81, and an upper end 94a. Can move between a second position (a position indicated by a solid line in FIG. 2B) where the lower end portion 94b protrudes from the casing 81. Since the moving member 94 is bent in a crank shape, the upper end portion 94a and the lower end portion 94b are arranged at different positions in plan view. Further, the length of the moving member 94 in the vertical direction is longer than the length of the casing 81 in the vertical direction by the distance l. As shown in FIG. 2B, when the moving member 94 is in the first position, the protruding height (distance l) of the upper end portion 94a from the upper surface of the housing 81 is equal to the protruding height of the positioning pin 81d and the first height. 2 is higher than the protruding height of the paper feed connector 87. The moving member 94 is disposed in the vicinity of the second paper feed connector 87 and the positioning pins 81d. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the second paper feed connector 87 from being connected to the paper feed connector 105 or the first paper feed connector 86 in the non-attached state. Moreover, it can suppress that the positioning pin 81d is inserted in the hole 104 or the hole 81c.

  Furthermore, the moving member 94 has a flange 94c that is a disk-shaped enormous portion formed below the upper end portion 94a. A spring 98, which is an elastic member, is disposed between the flange 94c and the guide 95. The spring 98 urges the moving member 94 downward. The moving member 94 is urged downward, and the lower end of the horizontal portion of the moving member 94 comes into contact with the upper surface of the guide 96, so that the moving member 94 is disposed at the second position in an unloaded state. The upper end portion 94 a of the moving member 94 faces the first recess 91 formed on the bottom surface of the apparatus main body 101 when the additional paper feeding unit 80 is attached to the bottom of the apparatus main body 101. Further, the lower end portion 94 b of the moving member 94 faces the second recess 92 formed on the upper surface of the stabilizer 190 when the stabilizer 190 is attached to the bottom of the additional sheet feeding unit 80.

  On the upper surface of the housing 81, an opening of the guide 95 and a third recess 97 facing the lower end portion 94b of the moving member 94 are formed. The length of the third recess 97 in the vertical direction is set to the distance l. An opening of the guide 96 is formed on the bottom surface of the housing 81. Note that a portion of the bottom surface of the casing 81 that faces the upper end portion 94 a of the moving member 94 has an upper end portion 94 a of the moving member 94 included in another additional sheet feeding unit 80 mounted on the bottom surface. It becomes the regulation part 99 which regulates intrusion. In other words, the restriction portion 99 is not formed with a recess, and the restriction portion 99 forms the same plane as the bottom surface of the housing 81. Note that a recess having a distance less than 1 may be formed in the restriction portion 99.

Further, a hole 81 c is formed on the bottom surface of the housing 81. The hole 81c is arranged at a position that coincides with the hole 104 in plan view. A mounting sensor 79 (see FIG. 6) is provided in the hole 81c. The mounting sensor 79 is connected to the paper feed control unit 170, and a projection 195 of a stabilizer 190 described later or a positioning pin 81d of the additional paper feeding unit 80 enters the hole 81c, so that the projection 195 or the positioning pin 81d is inserted. The detected signal is output to the main body control unit 150. As a result, it is possible to detect whether the stabilizer 190 or another additional paper feeding unit 80 is mounted below the additional paper feeding unit 80.

A first paper feed connector 86 is provided on the bottom surface of the housing 81. The first paper feed connector 86 is disposed at a position that coincides with the paper feed connector 105 in plan view. The first paper feed connector 86 is connected to the second paper feed connector 87 when the second paper feed connector 87 is inserted. A second paper feed connector 87 is provided on the upper surface of the housing 81. Second feed connector 8 7, in plan view, is disposed at a position which coincides with the first feed connector 86. The second paper feed connector 87 can be connected to both the paper feed connector 105 and the first paper feed connector 86 of another extension paper feed unit 80.

  The paper feed controller 170 shown in FIG. 1 controls the operations of the paper feed roller 83 and the feed roller pair 89 of the guide 84 based on a command (command data) from the main body controller 150. The sensor 85 is a displacement sensor and is fixed to the upper part of the paper feed tray 82. The height of the paper P stored in the paper feed tray 82 is detected, and a detection signal is output to the main body control unit 150 via the paper feed control unit 170. Accordingly, the main body control unit 150 can determine the number of sheets P in the sheet feed tray 82 based on the detection signal.

Next, the operation of the moving member 94 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, when a plurality (three in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4) of additional paper feeding units 80 are stacked on the apparatus main body 101, the bottom of the additional paper feeding unit 80 arranged at the lowest position is placed. When the stabilizer 190 is attached, the lower end portion 94b of the moving member 94 related to the additional sheet feeding unit 80 is accommodated in the second recess 92 of the stabilizer 190, and the moving member 94 takes the second position. In the additional paper feeding unit 80 in which another additional paper feeding unit 80 is mounted on the bottom surface, the lower end portion 94b of the moving member 94 related to the additional paper feeding unit 80 is the third recess 97 of the other additional paper feeding unit 80. When the moving member 94 is in the second position, the upper end portion 94a of the moving member 94 related to the other additional paper feeding unit 80 is in contact with the restricting portion 99 on the bottom surface of the additional paper feeding unit 80. It touches. As a result, the upper end portions 94a of the moving members 94 associated with all the additional paper feeding units 80 are immersed in the casing 81, and the moving members 94 in all the additional paper feeding units 80 take the second position. Therefore, the apparatus main body 101 and the plurality of additional paper feed units 80 are in a normal mounting state without interfering with the apparatus main body 101 or the additional paper feed unit 80 adjacent to the upper side. Here, the normal mounting state refers to a state in which the mounting sensor 78 or the mounting sensor 79 detects the protrusion 195 of the stabilizer 190 or the positioning pin 81d of the additional sheet feeding unit 80. As a modification, the normal mounting state may be a state in which the stabilizer 190 and the apparatus main body 101 or the additional paper feeding unit 80 are fixed by a lock mechanism. In a normal mounting state, the paper feed connector 105 of the apparatus main body 101 and the second paper feed connector 87 of the additional paper feed unit 80 are connected, or the first paper feed connector 86 of the additional paper feed unit 80. And the second paper feed connector 87 of the additional paper feed unit 80 disposed adjacent to the lower side of the additional paper feed unit 80. In the normal mounting state, the apparatus main body 101 and the additional sheet feeding unit 80 can perform a recording operation in conjunction with each other. The non-attached state refers to a state in which the attachment sensor 78 or the attachment sensor 79 does not detect the protrusion 195 of the stabilizer 190 or the positioning pin 81d of the additional sheet feeding unit 80. As a modification, the normal mounting state may be a state in which the stabilizer 190 and the apparatus main body 101 or the additional paper feeding unit 80 are not fixed by the lock mechanism. When not in the mounted state, the paper feed connector 105 of the apparatus main body 101 and the second paper feed connector 87 of the additional paper feed unit 80 are not connected, or the first paper feed connector 86 of the additional paper feed unit 80 and the relevant The second paper feed connector 87 of the extension paper feed unit 80 disposed adjacent to the lower side of the extension paper feed unit 80 is not connected. In the non-attached state, the apparatus main body 101 and the additional paper feeding unit 80 are not linked to perform a recording operation.
Incidentally, the number of additional paper feeding unit 80 to be stacked with respect to the apparatus main body 101 be two gloss 3 or more is not limited to three, the moving member 9 4 in all additional paper feeding unit 80 is a second position Thus, the apparatus main body 101 and the plurality of additional paper feeding units are in a normal mounting state.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when a plurality of additional paper feed units 80 are stacked on the apparatus main body 101, when the stabilizer 190 is not mounted on the bottom surface of the lowermost paper feed unit 80 arranged at the bottom. Since the lower end portion 94b of the moving member 94 associated with the additional sheet feeding unit 80 disposed at the lowest position is pressed against the installation surface, the moving member 94 is moved from the second position to the first position against the elastic force of the spring 98. (The elastic force of the spring 98 is set to be smaller than the weight of the additional sheet feeding unit 80, so the moving member 94 moves to the first position). Since the moving member 94 takes the first position, the upper end portion 94a of the moving member 94 interferes with the restriction portion 99 related to the bottom surface of another additional paper feeding unit 80 adjacent to the upper side, and the additional paper feeding unit 80 and other The additional paper feeding unit 80 is not attached.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, when only one additional paper feeding unit 80 is stacked on the apparatus main body 101, if the stabilizer 190 is not attached to the bottom surface of the additional paper feeding unit 80, the additional paper feeding is performed. Since the lower end portion 94b of the moving member 94 at the second position related to the paper unit 80 is pressed against the installation surface, the moving member 94 moves from the second position to the first position against the elastic force of the spring 98. Although the moving member 94 takes the first position, the upper end 94 a of the moving member 94 is accommodated in the first recess 91 formed on the bottom surface of the apparatus main body 101, so that the upper end 94 a interferes with the apparatus main body 101. The apparatus main body 101 and the additional sheet feeding unit 80 are normally attached. When the stabilizer 190 is attached to the bottom surface of the additional paper feeding unit 80, the lower end portion 94b of the moving member 94 of the additional paper feeding unit 80 is accommodated in the second recess 92 of the stabilizer 190, and the moving member 94 is Since it takes the second position, it is in a normal wearing state as in FIG.

  The electrical configuration of the printer 100 will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, the first paper feed connector 86 is connected to the paper feed control unit 170 via connection lines 266 to 268, and the second paper feed connector 87 is fed via connection lines 265 to 267. It is connected to the control unit 170. Each of the connection lines 266 and 267 is a signal line that mutually connects the first paper feed connector 86, the second paper feed connector 87, and the paper feed control unit 170. On the other hand, the connection line 265 is a signal line that connects only the second paper feed connector 87 and the paper feed control unit 170, and the connection line 268 connects the first paper feed connector 86 and the paper feed control unit 170. It is a signal line that connects only between the two.

  When the second paper feed connector 87 is connected to the paper feed connector 105 of the apparatus main body 101, the connection lines 265 to 267 are connected to the connection lines 205b, 206, and 207 of the apparatus main body 101, respectively. On the other hand, when the second paper feed connector 87 is connected to the first paper feed connector 86 of another extension paper feed unit 80, the connection lines 266 and 267 are connection lines 266 and 267 of the other extension paper feed unit 80. Are connected to each other, and the connection line 265 is connected to the connection line 268 of the other additional sheet feeding unit 80.

  With the above configuration, even in the additional paper feed unit 80 connected to the apparatus main body 101 in the second and subsequent stages, the connection lines 266 and 267 of the additional paper feed unit 80 in the previous stage to the additional paper feed unit 80. And various types of data such as response data can be transmitted to and received from the apparatus main body 101.

As described above, according to the printer 100 of the present embodiment, when an attempt is made to stack a predetermined number (two in the present embodiment) or more of the additional sheet feeding units 80 on the apparatus main body 101, the expansion unit disposed at the lowermost position. the stabilizer 190 in the sheet feeding unit 80 is not mounted, the bottom surface of the other additional paper feeding unit 80 to the upper end portion 94a of the moving member 94 of the additional paper feeding unit 80 is adjacent to the upper (regulating section min 99) interference As a result, the apparatus main body 101 and the plurality of additional paper feed units 80 are not attached. Here, the predetermined number means that when the predetermined number of additional sheet feeding units 80 and the apparatus main body 101 are stacked, the entire apparatus may fall down, and thus the additional sheet feeding unit that requires the attachment of the stabilizer 190 is required. The number 80. When in the non-attached state, as shown in FIG. 4, the additional paper feed unit 80 adjacent above is inclined. By tilting the other additional paper feeding unit 80, it is possible to visually appeal the user to the non-mounted state. Therefore, the user can easily grasp that the apparatus main body 101 and the plurality of additional paper feed units 80 are not attached without turning on the power. That is, the user can easily grasp whether or not the stabilizer 190 for preventing overturning is mounted without turning on the power. If the stabilizer 190 is attached to the extension paper supply unit 80 arranged at the lowermost position, the upper end portion 94a of the moving member 94 of the extension paper supply unit 80 is connected to another extension paper supply unit 80 adjacent to the upper side. Without interfering with the bottom surface, the apparatus main body 101 and the plurality of additional paper feeding units 80 are in a normal mounting state.

  Further, when only one additional paper feeding unit 80 is to be stacked on the apparatus main body 101, the upper end of the moving member 94 of the additional paper feeding unit 80 is not provided even if the stabilizer 190 is attached to the additional paper feeding unit 80. The portion 94a is accommodated in the first recess 91 formed on the bottom surface of the apparatus main body 101, so that the apparatus main body 101 and the additional sheet feeding unit 80 can be in a normal mounting state. As the number of additional paper feeding units 80 increases, the center of gravity of the entire apparatus becomes higher and it becomes easier to tip over. As described above, when the center of gravity of the entire apparatus in which only one additional sheet feeding unit 80 is stacked is lower than a predetermined value, the printer 100 can be used without mounting the stabilizer 190.

  Further, when the moving member 94 is in the first position, the protruding height (distance 1) of the upper end portion 94a from the upper surface of the casing 81 is the protruding height of the positioning pin 81d and the protruding height of the second paper feed connector 87. Therefore, the positioning pin 81d and the second paper feed connector 87 can be prevented from being damaged when the additional paper feed unit 80 is mounted.

  A modification of this embodiment will be described. In the embodiment described above, since the moving member 94 has a shape bent in a crank shape, the lower end portion 94b has only one configuration. However, if the upper end portion and the lower end portion are formed, the moving member 94 The shape is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, two lower ends 194 b may be formed by dividing the lower end side of the moving member 194 into two branches. At this time, a guide 196 in which two vertical through holes are formed holds the two lower end portions 194b so as to be slidable simultaneously. Further, the upper surface of the casing 81 only needs to be formed with two third recesses 197 facing the lower end 194b.

Next, a second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, since only the moving member 394 and this operation mechanism are different, this will be mainly described below. In addition, about the member same as 1st Embodiment, the code | symbol same as 1st Embodiment is attached | subjected and description is abbreviate | omitted. As shown in FIG. 8, the moving member 394 is disposed within the housing 81. The moving member 394 is a columnar member that extends linearly. An upper end portion 394a (first portion) of the moving member 394 is slidably held by a short cylindrical guide 95 fixed to the top plate of the housing 81. A lower end portion 394 b (second portion) of the moving member 394 is slidably held by a long cylindrical guide 96 fixed to the bottom plate of the housing 81. The length of the moving member 394 in the vertical direction is longer than the length of the casing 81 in the vertical direction by the distance l. The moving member 394 has a first position where the upper end 394a protrudes from the casing 81 while the lower end 394b is immersed in the casing 81, and the lower end 394b extends from the casing 81 while the upper end 394a is immersed in the casing 81. It can move between the protruding second positions. Note that the first position includes a first position A 1, a first position B 1, and a first position C in which the protruding amounts of the upper end portion 394 a are different from each other. The first position A, shown in FIG. 8, the position of the moving member 394 of the additional paper feeding unit 8 0 arranged in the second row from the bottom, a position where the projecting amount of the upper portion 394a is the distance l. The first position B, shown in FIG. 8, is the most upwardly the position of the moving member 394 of the deployed additional paper feeding unit 8 0, the position where the projecting amount of the upper portion 394a is a distance 2l. The first position C is the position of the moving member 394 of the additional sheet feeding unit disposed at the uppermost position shown in FIG. 9, and is the position where the protruding amount of the upper end 394a is the distance 3l.

  The moving member 394 has a flange 94c that is a disk-shaped enormous portion formed below the upper end 394a. When the moving member 394 takes the second position, the upper surface of the guide 96 is in contact with the lower surface of the flange 94c of the moving member 394. A spring 98, which is an elastic member, is disposed between the flange 94c and the guide 95, and the spring 98 biases the moving member 394 downward. The moving member 394 is biased downward, and the lower surface of the flange 94c of the moving member 394 comes into contact with the upper surface of the guide 96, so that the moving member 394 is disposed at the second position in an unloaded state. The upper end 394 a of the moving member 394 faces the first recess 391 formed on the bottom surface of the apparatus main body 301 when the additional paper feeding unit 380 is mounted on the bottom surface of the apparatus main body 301. Further, the lower end portion 394 b of the moving member 394 faces the second recess 392 formed on the top plate of the stabilizer 190 when the stabilizer 190 is attached to the bottom surface of the additional sheet feeding unit 380. The depth d1 of the first recess 391 is a distance 21 and the depth d2 of the second recess 392 is a distance l.

Next, the operation of the moving member 394 will be described. When the three additional paper feeding units 380 are stacked on the apparatus main body 301, when the stabilizer 190 is mounted on the bottom surface of the lowermost additional paper feeding unit 380, the lowermost paper feeding unit 380 is arranged at the lowermost position. The lower end portion 394b of the moving member 394 related to the additional sheet feeding unit 380 is accommodated in the second recess 392 of the stabilizer 190, and the moving member 394 takes the second position. At this time, since the depth d2 of the second recess 392 has a length l, the leading end of the upper end portion 394a is positioned at the same height as the upper surface of the housing 81.

In the extension paper feeding unit 380 arranged second from the bottom, the lower end portion 394b of the moving member 394 related to the extension paper feeding unit 380 is the upper end of the moving member 394 of the extension paper feeding unit 380 arranged at the lowermost position. It abuts on the portion 394a. Therefore, against the elastic force of the spring 98, the distal end of the upper end portion 394a of the moving member 394 is protruded from the upper surface of the housing 81 by a distance l, the mobile member 394 takes the first position A (spring 98 Is set to be smaller than the weight of the additional paper feeding unit 380, the moving member 394 moves to the first position A). At this time, the upper end portion 394a is guided by the guide 96 of the optional sheet feeding unit 80 disposed third from the bottom penetrates into the housing 81.

Further, in the extension sheet feeding unit 380 arranged third from the bottom, the lower end portion 394b of the moving member 394 related to the extension sheet feeding unit 380 moves the extension sheet feeding unit 380 arranged second from the bottom. The upper end 394a of the member 394 is pressed. Therefore, the tip of the upper end 394a of the moving member 394 protrudes from the upper surface of the casing 81 by a distance 2l against the elastic force of the spring 98, and the moving member 394 takes the first position B (the elasticity of the spring 98). Since the force is set to be smaller than the weight of the additional sheet feeding unit 380, the moving member 394 moves to the first position B). The upper end 394a is accommodated in the first recess 391 of the apparatus main body 301. Since the depth of the first recess 391 is the distance 21, it does not interfere with the upper end 394a. As a result, the upper end 394a of the moving member 394 associated with all the additional paper feed units 380 does not interfere with the upper adjacent apparatus main body 301 or the additional paper feed unit 380, and the apparatus main body 301 and a plurality of expansions are added. The paper feed unit 380 is in a normal mounting state.

As shown in FIG. 9, when three additional paper feeding units 380 are stacked on the apparatus main body 301, when the stabilizer 190 is not attached to the bottom surface of the additional paper feeding unit 80 arranged at the lowest position. The lower end portion 394b of the moving member 394 at the second position related to the additional sheet feeding unit 380 disposed at the lowermost position is pressed against the installation surface. Therefore, against the elastic force of the spring 98, the distal end of the upper end portion 394a of the moving member 394 is protruded from the upper surface of the housing 81 by a distance l, the mobile member 394 takes the first position A. At this time, the upper end portion 394a is guided by the guide 96 of the additional paper feeding unit 80 arranged second from the bottom penetrates into the housing 81.

Further, in the additional paper feeding unit 380 arranged second from the bottom, the lower end portion 394b of the moving member 394 related to the additional paper feeding unit 380 is the first position of the additional paper feeding unit 380 arranged at the lowermost position. It is pressed by the upper end 394a of the moving member 394 in A. Therefore, the tip of the upper end portion 394a of the moving member 394 against the elastic force of the spring 98 protrudes a distance 2l from the upper surface of the housing 81, the moving member 394 takes the first position B. At this time, the upper end portion 394a is guided by the guide 96 of the optional sheet feeding unit 80 disposed third from the bottom penetrates into the housing 81.

In the extension paper feeding unit 380 arranged third from the bottom, the lower end 394b of the moving member 394 related to the extension paper feeding unit 380 is the first position of the extension paper feeding unit 380 arranged second from the bottom. B is pressed by the upper end 394a of the moving member 394 in B. Therefore, the tip of the upper end portion 394a of the moving member 394 against the elastic force of the spring 98 protrudes a distance 3l from the upper surface of the housing 81, the moving member 394 takes the first position C. At this time, since the depth of the first concave portion 391 is 21, the upper end portion 394a interferes with the first concave portion 391, and the apparatus main body 301 and the plurality of additional paper feeding units 380 are not attached. When in the non-attached state, as shown in FIG. 9, the apparatus main body 101 is in a state of floating from the extension paper supply unit 380 adjacent below. When the apparatus main body 101 is in a floating state, it is possible to visually appeal the non-wearing state to the user.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 10, when only the two additional paper feed units 380 are stacked on the apparatus main body 301, if the stabilizer 190 is not attached to the bottom surface of the additional paper feed unit 380, In the second extension paper supply unit 380, the lower end portion 394b of the moving member 394 related to the extension paper supply unit 380 is moved to the first position A of the lowermost extension paper supply unit 380. The upper end 394a of the member 394 is pressed. Therefore, the tip of the upper end portion 394a of the moving member 394 protrudes a distance 2l from the upper surface of the housing 81, the moving member 394 takes the first position B. The upper end 394a is accommodated in the first recess 391 of the apparatus main body 301. Since the depth of the first recess 391 is the distance 2l, it does not interfere with the upper end 394a. Thus, the upper end portion 394a of the moving member 394 associated with all the additional paper feed units 380 does not interfere with the upper adjacent apparatus main body 301 or the additional paper feed unit 380, and the apparatus main body 301 and the two additional extensions The paper feed unit 380 is in a normal mounting state. When one additional paper feed unit 380 is stacked on the apparatus main body 301, the moving member 394 of the additional paper feed unit 380 takes the first position A. Then, the upper end 394 a of the moving member 394 is accommodated in the first recess 391 of the apparatus main body 301. Since the depth of the first recess 391 is 2l, the upper end portion 394a of the moving member 394 does not interfere with the apparatus body 301 adjacent to the upper side, and the apparatus body 301 and the additional sheet feeding unit 380 are normal. It becomes a state of wearing.

  As described above, according to the printer of this embodiment, when an attempt is made to stack a predetermined number (three in the present embodiment) or more of the additional paper feeding units 380 on the apparatus main body 301, the additional paper supply disposed at the lowermost position. If the stabilizer 190 is not attached to the paper unit 380, the upper end 394a of the moving member 394 of the extension paper feeding unit 380 disposed at the uppermost position interferes with the apparatus main body 301, so that the apparatus main body 301 and the three additional feeds are supplied. The paper unit 380 is not attached. Therefore, the user can easily grasp whether or not the stabilizer 190 for preventing overturning is mounted without turning on the power. If the stabilizer 190 is attached to the extension paper supply unit 380 arranged at the lowermost position, the upper end portion 394a of the moving member 394 of the extension paper supply unit 380 is connected to the other extension paper supply unit 80 adjacent to the upper side. Without interfering with the bottom surface, the apparatus main body 101 and the plurality of additional paper feed units 380 are in a normal mounting state.

  Further, when attempting to stack two or less additional paper feeding units 380 on the apparatus main body 301, even if the stabilizer 190 is not attached to the additional paper feeding unit 380, the uppermost paper feeding unit 380 is moved. The upper end portion 394a of the member 394 is accommodated in a first recess 391 formed on the bottom surface of the apparatus main body 301, so that the apparatus main body 301 and the two additional paper feed units 380 can be in a normal mounting state. As the number of additional paper feeding units 380 increases, the center of gravity of the entire apparatus becomes higher and it becomes easier to overturn. As described above, when the center of gravity of the entire apparatus is lower than a predetermined value such that two or less additional paper feeding units 80 are stacked, the printer can be used without the stabilizer 190 attached.

  Furthermore, since the moving member 394 extends linearly, a structure for holding the moving member 394 so as to be movable becomes easy. In addition, since whether or not the uppermost moving member 394 interferes with the first concave portion 391 is determined by the length of the plurality of moving members 394 connected in the vertical direction, the first concave portion 391 and the second concave portion By adjusting the depth of 392, the number (the predetermined number: 3 in the present embodiment) of the additional sheet feeding units 380 that need to be mounted with the stabilizer 190 can be changed. For example, when the depth of the second recess 392 is the distance l, the predetermined number is 2 if the depth of the first recess 391 is the distance l, and the predetermined number is 2 if the depth of the first recess 391 is the distance 3l. The number is 4. The depth d1 of the first recess may be in a range of l · (a-1) ≦ d1 <l · a, where a is a predetermined number.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made as long as they are described in the claims. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the moving members 94 and 394 are configured to be biased downward by the spring 98, but the configuration of the moving members 94 and 394 is reversed upside down or the spring 98 is used as a tension spring. The moving member may be biased upward. In that case, for example, in FIG. 3, the upper end portion 94 a of the moving member 94 associated with the uppermost additional paper feeding unit 80 is accommodated in the first recess 91 formed on the bottom surface of the apparatus main body 101. Further, the moving member 94 related to the second extension paper supply unit 80 from the bottom and the bottom is pressed by the restriction portion 99 related to the extension paper supply unit 80 adjacent to the upper side of the extension paper supply unit 80, and the spring 98. It moves to the second position against the elastic force.

In the printer according to the above-described embodiment, a mechanism using a spring is employed as an urging mechanism that urges the moving member downward or upward, but an urging mechanism using a spring other than the spring may be employed. Good. Further, if the moving member can move between the first position and the second position, the urging mechanism may not be employed in the additional paper feeding unit.

  The present invention is not limited to a printer, but can also be applied to a facsimile, a copier, and the like, and can also be applied to a recording apparatus that performs recording by discharging a liquid other than ink. Further, the present invention is not limited to the ink jet type, and can be applied to, for example, a laser type or thermal type recording apparatus. The recording medium is not limited to the paper P, and may be various recording media.

80,380 additional paper feed unit 81 housing 91,391 first recess 92,392 second recesses 94,194,394 moving member 94a, 394a upper portion 94b, 394b lower end 97 third recess 100 inkjet printer 101 and 301 device Body 190 Stabilizer

Claims (12)

An image recording unit main body for recording an image on a recording medium having a first recess on the bottom surface;
A recording medium supply unit for supplying to the image recording unit main body for accommodating a plurality of recording media supplied to the image recording unit main body, wherein the image recording unit main body and one or a plurality of the recording medium supply units are provided. One or a plurality of recording medium supply units that can be attached to and detached from the bottom surface of the image recording unit main body or the bottom surface of the other recording medium supply unit so as to be stacked in the vertical direction;
A second concave portion on the top surface, and a support member that can be attached to and detached from the bottom surface of the recording medium supply unit.
The recording medium supply unit includes a casing and a moving member that is movable in a vertical direction with respect to the casing, and whose vertical length is longer than the vertical length of the casing.
The moving member includes a first portion disposed at a position facing the first recess when the recording medium supply unit is mounted on a bottom surface of the image recording unit main body, and the support member supplies the recording medium. A second portion disposed at a position facing the second recess when mounted on the bottom surface of the unit, and the first portion is immersed in the housing while the first portion is in the housing. Movable between a first position protruding from a body and a second position where the second portion protrudes from the housing while the first portion is immersed in the housing;
When the one or a plurality of recording medium supply units are stacked on the image recording unit main body, the number of the recording medium supply units is a predetermined number or more, and the recording medium supply unit disposed at the lowest position When the support member is mounted on the bottom surface of the recording medium, at least the second portion of the moving member related to the recording medium supply unit disposed at the lowest position is accommodated in the second recess of the support member. The moving members related to the recording medium supply unit take the second position, so that the moving members related to all the recording medium supply units are relative to the image recording unit main body or the adjacent recording medium supply units. Without interference, the image recording unit main body and the one or more recording medium supply units are in a mounted state,
When the number of the recording medium supply units is equal to or greater than a predetermined number and the support member is not mounted on the bottom surface of the recording medium supply unit arranged at the lowest position, the recording medium arranged at the lowest position When the moving member related to the supply unit takes the first position, the first portion of the moving member related to the recording medium supply unit interferes with the recording medium supply unit adjacent to the upper side, or the uppermost position. The first portion of the moving member related to the recording medium supply unit arranged in the position interferes with the image recording unit main body, and the image recording unit main body and the one or more recording medium supply units are not attached. An image recording apparatus configured as described above. When the image recording unit main body and the one or more recording medium supply units are stacked,
When the number of the recording medium supply units is less than the predetermined number and the support member is mounted on the bottom surface of the recording medium supply unit arranged at the lowest position, at least the lowest arrangement of the recording medium supply units. The second portion of the moving member related to the recording medium supply unit is accommodated in the second recess of the support member, and the moving member related to the recording medium supply unit takes the second position, thereby The moving member related to the recording medium supply unit does not interfere with the image recording unit main body or the adjacent recording medium supply unit, and the image recording unit main body and the one or more recording medium supply units are mounted. And
A number less than the predetermined number of the recording medium supply unit, most arranged below the said when the support member to the bottom surface of the recording medium supply unit is not installed, the disposed uppermost recording The first portion of the moving member related to the medium supply unit is accommodated in the first recess of the image recording unit main body, and the moving member related to the recording medium supply unit takes the first position. The moving member of all the recording medium supply units does not interfere with the image recording unit main body or the adjacent recording medium supply unit, and the image recording unit main body and the one or more recording medium supply units are The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image recording apparatus is in a mounted state. The first part and the second part of the moving member are arranged at different positions in a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction,
The recording medium supply unit includes:
A third recess formed at a position facing the second portion of the moving member of the recording medium supply unit adjacent to the upper side; and the first portion of the moving member of the recording medium supply unit adjacent to the lower side. 3. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a restricting portion that restricts intrusion of the first portion at an opposing position. 4.   When the image recording unit main body, the one or a plurality of recording medium supply units, and the support member are in the mounted state, at least the moving member according to each recording medium supply unit other than the recording medium supply unit disposed at the uppermost position The first portion of the moving member abuts the restricting portion of the recording medium supply unit adjacent to the upper side, and the second portion of the moving member is adjacent to the second recess or the lower portion of the support member. The image recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the image recording apparatus is accommodated in the third recess of the unit.   The recording medium supply unit further includes a downward urging mechanism that urges the moving member downward so that the moving member assumes the second position. The image recording apparatus according to item 1.   5. The recording medium supply unit further includes an upper urging mechanism that urges the moving member upward so that the moving member takes the first position. The image recording apparatus according to item 1. The moving member extends linearly along the vertical direction;
When the depth d1 of the first recess is a protrusion length which is a difference between a length in the vertical direction of the moving member and a length in the vertical direction of the housing, and the predetermined number is a,
l · (a-1) ≦ d1 <l · a
The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image recording apparatus is in a range defined by   The image recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein a depth d2 of the second concave portion of the support member is equal to the protruding length l. A connector is arranged on the upper surface of each recording medium supply unit,
9. The protruding height of the moving member from the upper surface of the recording medium supply unit when the moving member takes the first position is higher than the protruding height of the connector. The image recording apparatus according to any one of the above. Positioning pins are arranged on the upper surface of the recording medium supply unit,
10. The protruding height of the moving member from the upper surface of the recording medium supply unit when the moving member assumes the first position is higher than the protruding height of the positioning pin. The image recording apparatus according to any one of the above. A recording medium having a first recess formed on the bottom surface, detachable on the bottom surface of the image recording unit main body for recording an image on the recording medium, and detachable on the top surface of the support member formed with the second recess on the top surface A supply unit,
A housing,
A movable member that is movable in a vertical direction with respect to the casing, and has a vertical length that is longer than a vertical length of the casing;
The moving member includes a first portion disposed at a position facing the first recess when the recording medium supply unit is mounted on a bottom surface of the image recording unit main body, and the support member supplies the recording medium. A second portion disposed at a position facing the second recess when mounted on the bottom surface of the unit, and the second portion is immersed in the housing while the second portion is in the housing. The recording is characterized in that it is movable between a first position protruding from the body and a second position where the first portion protrudes from the housing while the second portion is immersed in the housing. Medium supply unit. The first part and the second part of the moving member are arranged at different positions in a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction,
The recording medium supply unit includes a third recess formed at a position facing the second portion of the moving member of the recording medium supply unit adjacent to the upper side, and the movement of the recording medium supply unit adjacent to the lower side. The recording medium supply unit according to claim 11, further comprising a restricting portion that is formed at a position facing the first portion of the member and restricts insertion of the first portion.