阅读说明：本技术 记录装置 (Recording apparatus ) 是由 玉井聪志 和木信悟 小室新太郎 篠﨑畅彦 于 2020-10-29 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明公开了记录装置,提高了对排纸托盘的伸缩的便利性。记录装置(1)具备：记录部(24),对介质(纸张S)进行记录：壳体(200),收容记录部(24)；托盘(6),能够移动至装载位置和收纳位置,装载位置是装载进行记录而排出的纸张(S)的位置,收纳位置是收纳于壳体(200)内的位置；以及控制部,切换自动模式和手动模式,自动模式使托盘(6)自动地移动至装载位置和收纳位置,手动模式为手动地移动至装载位置和收纳位置。此外,具备使托盘(6)向装载位置和收纳位置移动的轮系机构(8)及驱动轮系机构(8)的驱动源(7),轮系机构(8)具有行星齿轮(75),通过切换行星齿轮(75)的位置来切换自动模式和手动模式。(The invention discloses a recording apparatus, which improves the convenience of extension and retraction of a paper discharge tray. A recording device (1) is provided with: a recording unit (24) that records on a medium (sheet S): a housing (200) that houses the recording unit (24); a tray (6) that can be moved to a loading position where sheets (S) to be recorded and discharged are loaded and a storage position where the sheets are stored in a housing (200); and a control unit that switches between an automatic mode for automatically moving the tray (6) to the loading position and the storage position and a manual mode for manually moving the tray to the loading position and the storage position. The tray loading device is also provided with a gear train mechanism (8) for moving the tray (6) to the loading position and the storage position, and a drive source (7) for driving the gear train mechanism (8), wherein the gear train mechanism (8) is provided with a planetary gear (75), and the automatic mode and the manual mode are switched by switching the position of the planetary gear (75).)

1. A recording apparatus is characterized by comprising:

a recording unit that records on a medium;

a housing accommodating the recording unit;

a tray movable to a loading position where the medium to be recorded and discharged is loaded and a storage position where the medium is stored in the housing; and

a control unit that switches between an automatic mode that automatically moves the tray to the loading position and the storage position and a manual mode that manually moves the tray to the loading position and the storage position.

2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1,

the recording device includes:

a gear train mechanism including a plurality of gears for moving the tray to the loading position and the storage position; and

a drive source for driving the gear train mechanism,

the gear train mechanism is provided with a planetary gear,

the automatic mode and the manual mode are switched by switching the position of the planetary gear.

3. The recording apparatus according to claim 2,

the tray is formed with a rack engaged with the gear train mechanism,

the gear train mechanism includes:

a pinion gear engaged with the rack; and

a gear for transmitting power to the pinion gear,

the planetary gear is formed between the drive source and the gear,

in the automatic mode, the planetary gear and the gear are in a meshed state,

in the manual mode, the planetary gear and the gear are in a non-meshed state.

4. The recording apparatus according to claim 2,

after the tray is moved to the loading position or the storage position in the automatic mode, the planetary gear is moved to a retracted position where the planetary gear is not engaged with the gear.

5. The recording apparatus according to claim 3,

after the tray is moved to the loading position or the storage position in the automatic mode, the planetary gear is moved to a retracted position in which the planetary gear is not engaged with the gear.

6. The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

the recording apparatus includes an operation unit configured to instruct the control unit to input switching between the automatic mode and the manual mode.

7. The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

the tray is configured to be movable to a plurality of positions in the automatic mode.

8. The recording apparatus according to claim 7,

the tray includes a first tray and a second tray, the second tray being located on an upstream side in a discharge direction of the medium than the first tray at the loading position,

the second tray is configured to be movable to a plurality of positions in the automatic mode.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a recording apparatus.

Background

Conventionally, a recording apparatus such as a printer that performs recording by ejecting liquid onto a medium is known. In such a recording apparatus, the medium after recording is discharged to a discharge tray. Patent document 1 discloses a configuration in which a discharge tray is extended and contracted according to the length of a medium, and the discharge tray is automatically extended and contracted to move to a predetermined position according to a print instruction.

Patent document 1: japanese laid-open patent publication No. 2004-338873

Disclosure of Invention

However, depending on the user, it is sometimes required to move the paper discharge tray to a desired position not automatically but manually. In contrast, in the case of the configuration of the paper discharge tray disclosed in patent document 1, the extension and contraction of the paper discharge tray can be automatically performed, but the extension and contraction by hand cannot be performed. Therefore, there is a problem that convenience with respect to expansion and contraction of the discharge tray is low.

The recording device is characterized by comprising: a recording unit that records on a medium; a housing accommodating the recording unit; a tray movable to a loading position where the medium to be recorded and discharged is loaded and a storage position where the medium is stored in the housing; and a control unit that switches between an automatic mode that automatically moves the tray to the loading position and the storage position and a manual mode that manually moves the tray to the loading position and the storage position.

Preferably, the above-described recording apparatus includes a gear train mechanism including a plurality of gears for moving the tray to the loading position and the storage position, and a drive source for driving the gear train mechanism, wherein the gear train mechanism includes a planetary gear, and the automatic mode and the manual mode are switched by switching a position of the planetary gear.

In the above-described recording apparatus, it is preferable that the tray is formed with a rack that meshes with the gear train mechanism, the gear train mechanism includes a pinion that meshes with the rack and a gear that transmits power to the pinion, the planetary gear is provided between the drive source and the gear, and the planetary gear and the gear are in a meshed state in the automatic mode and are in a non-meshed state in the manual mode.

In the above-described recording apparatus, it is preferable that the planetary gear is moved to a retracted position in which the planetary gear is not engaged with the gear after the tray is moved to the loading position or the storage position in the automatic mode.

Preferably, the recording apparatus described above further includes an operation unit configured to instruct the control unit to input switching between the automatic mode and the manual mode.

Preferably, in the above-described recording apparatus, the tray is configured to be movable to a plurality of positions in the automatic mode.

Preferably, in the above-described recording apparatus, the tray includes a first tray and a second tray, the second tray is located upstream of the first tray in the discharge direction of the medium at the loading position, and the second tray is configured to be movable to a plurality of positions in the automatic mode.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a recording apparatus according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing a schematic structure of the recording apparatus.

Fig. 3 is a schematic functional block diagram of the case of extending and retracting the tray.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a state where the tray is at the storage position.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing a state of the gear train mechanism when the tray is at the storage position.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which the tray is moved to a loading position where a3 size sheets are loaded.

Fig. 7 is a plan view showing a state of the train mechanism when the tray moves from the storage position to the loading position in the automatic mode.

Fig. 8 is a side sectional view schematically showing the structure of the drive source and the gear train mechanism.

Fig. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining a detection operation of the first detection unit.

Fig. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining a detection operation of the first detection unit.

Fig. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the structure and operation of the second detection unit.

Fig. 12 is a plan view showing a state of the train mechanism when the tray moves from the loading position to the storage position in the automatic mode.

Fig. 13 is a plan view showing a state of the wheel train mechanism when the tray is moved from the storage position to the loading position in the manual mode.

Description of reference numerals:

1 … recording device; 4 … operation part; 6 … trays; 7 … driving source; 8 … train mechanism; 24 … recording part; a 32 … control section; 61 … first tray; 62 … second tray; 63 … rack gear; 75 … planetary gears; 84 … as a fourth gear for transmitting power to and from the pinion; 86 … sixth gear as pinion; 200 … a housing; d2 … discharge direction; s … is a sheet of paper as a medium.

Detailed Description

1. Detailed description of the preferred embodiments

An outline of the recording apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described. As an example of the recording apparatus, an ink jet type recording apparatus (hereinafter, referred to as a recording apparatus 1) is exemplified.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a recording apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the recording apparatus 1.

In the following drawings including fig. 1 and 2, an XYZ coordinate system is used. The X direction is a width direction of the sheet S as a medium for recording, and is a scanning direction of the recording head 25. The Y direction is the depth direction of the recording apparatus 1 and is the longitudinal direction of the sheet S. The Z direction is a gravity direction and is a height direction of the recording apparatus 1.

Note that the front side or front side of the recording apparatus 1 is set to the + Y direction, and the rear side or rear side of the recording apparatus 1 is set to the-Y direction. When the recording apparatus 1 is viewed from the front side, the left or left direction of the recording apparatus 1 is defined as the + X direction, and the right or right direction of the recording apparatus 1 is defined as the-X direction. Note that the upper side (including upper, upper surface, and the like) of the recording apparatus 1 is set to the + Z direction, and the lower side (including lower, lower surface, and the like) of the recording apparatus 1 is set to the-Z direction.

An outline of the recording apparatus 1 will be described with reference to fig. 1 and 2.

As shown in fig. 1, the recording apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes a recording unit 20 and a scanner unit 10 disposed above the recording unit 20, and is configured as a so-called multi-function printer.

The scanner unit 10 includes a first reader 11 and a second reader 12 disposed above the first reader 11. The first reading device 11 is a flat-bed type scanner, and has a contact image sensor (illustration omitted). The user exposes a document placement surface (not shown) that is the upper surface of first reading device 11 by opening second reading device 12 with respect to first reading device 11. Next, the original to be read is placed on the exposed original placement surface of the first reading device 11, the second reading device 12 is closed, and a predetermined opening and closing operation is performed from the operation unit 4. Thus, the first reading device 11 can read characters, symbols, pictures, and the like drawn on the document placed on the document placement surface as an image and convert the image into image data.

Second reading device 12 has document feeding unit 121. The document feeding unit 121 feeds the document placed on the document placement tray 122 into the second reading device 12. The second reading device 12 includes an ADF (Auto Document Feeder), reads a supplied Document as an image, and discharges the read Document to the Document discharge tray 123.

An operation unit 4 for operating the recording apparatus 1 is provided on the front side of the recording apparatus 1. The operation unit 4 is a panel that is long in the X direction, and is provided with a power button 41 that is operated when the recording apparatus 1 is turned on or off, an operation button 42 that is operated when various kinds of operation information are input, and a display panel 43 that can display an operation state and the like. The display panel 43 is, for example, a liquid crystal panel.

As shown in fig. 2, a conveyance path 17 indicated by a two-dot chain line is set in the recording unit 20, and the sheet S is conveyed in a conveyance direction D1. The recording unit 20 includes a paper cassette 21, a feeding unit 22, a conveying unit 23, a recording unit 24, a discharging unit 5, a control unit 32, and the like.

A paper cassette 21 is detachably provided at a lower portion of the recording apparatus 1. The sheet cassette 21 is a storage unit capable of storing sheets S in a stacked state. In the present embodiment, the sheet cassette 21 is provided with a sheet cassette 211 accommodating a 4-sized sheets S and a sheet cassette 212 accommodating A3-sized sheets S.

The feeding section 22 feeds the sheets S accommodated in the sheet cassette 21 to the conveying section 23. The feeding section 22 includes a pickup roller 27 that feeds out the uppermost sheet S among the sheets S stored in the sheet cassette 21 in a stacked state, and a pair of separation rollers 28 that separate the sheets S fed out by the pickup roller 27 one by one. Further, the feeding unit 22 includes a feeding motor (not shown) for rotationally driving the pickup roller 27. The pickup roller 27 and the separation roller pair 28 corresponding to the cassettes 211 and 212 on which the sheets S used for recording (printing) are stacked are driven, respectively, to feed the sheets S used for recording to the conveying section 23.

The conveying section 23 conveys the fed sheet S to the recording section 24. The conveying unit 23 includes a conveying roller pair 29 that rotates in accordance with driving of a conveying motor (not shown), and conveys the sheet S along the conveying path 17. Further, a platen 30 is provided at a position along the conveyance path 17 and facing the recording section 24. The sheet S is conveyed while being attracted to a supporting surface (upper surface) of the platen 30.

The recording unit 24 includes a recording head 25 that ejects ink as liquid toward the sheet S, a carriage 26 that is configured to be mounted on the recording head 25 and movable in a width direction (X direction) intersecting the conveyance direction D1(+ Y direction) of the sheet S, an ink cartridge (not shown) that supplies ink to the recording head 25, and the like. The recording head 25 is disposed at a position facing the platen 30 with the conveyance path 17 therebetween.

The recording unit 24 performs recording (printing) by ejecting ink on the sheet S conveyed while being supported by the platen 30 based on recording data (print data), thereby adhering the ink to form an image based on the recording data. The recording data is data for causing the recording apparatus 1 to perform recording generated based on image data such as text data, picture data, and the like recorded on the sheet S. The recording sheet S is conveyed by the conveying unit 23 and is conveyed to the discharge unit 5 provided on the downstream side of the recording head 25 in the conveying direction D1.

The discharge unit 5 discharges the recording-completed sheet S from the discharge port 52 to the tray 6 in the discharge direction D2 by the discharge roller pair 51. In the case of continuously recording and discharging the sheets S, the discharged sheets S are stacked and stacked in order on the sheet S discharged in the previous time.

The control unit 32 controls driving of the feeding unit 22, the conveying unit 23, the recording unit 24, the discharging unit 5, and the like. The control unit 32 also performs overall control as the recording apparatus 1 in cooperation with a scan control unit (not shown) provided in the scanner unit 10.

The control unit 32 of the present embodiment has the following functions: when the tray 6 is extended or contracted, the tray 6 is automatically moved to the loading position where the sheets S are loaded as shown in fig. 2 and the storage position where the sheets S are stored in the casing 200 as shown in fig. 1, and the automatic mode and the manual mode in which the tray 6 is manually moved to the loading position and the storage position by the user are switched. The loading position in the manual mode is a position at which the tray 6 is extended to a position desired by the user.

Fig. 3 is a schematic functional block diagram of the extension and contraction of the tray 6. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a state where the tray 6 is at the storage position.

As shown in fig. 3, the functional blocks include a control unit 32, a storage unit 34, an operation unit 4, a drive source 7, a gear train mechanism 8, a first detection unit 36, a second detection unit 38, and a tray 6. The control unit 32 is instructed to input through the display panel 43 of the operation unit 4, and switches between the automatic mode and the manual mode.

Specifically, when performing printing, the control unit 32 causes the display panel 43 formed of a touch panel to display a screen for selecting whether the tray 6 is to be extended or retracted in the automatic mode or the manual mode. The user confirms the screen display and selects either the automatic mode or the manual mode by pressing the touch panel with a finger.

In the present embodiment, when printing is performed in the automatic mode, the control unit 32 moves the tray 6 in the storage position to the loading position corresponding to the size of the printed sheets S before the printed sheets S are discharged from the start of printing. In the present embodiment, the sizes of the sheets S are a4 size and A3 size.

The storage unit 34 stores various programs that define operations in the automatic mode and the manual mode when the tray 6 is extended and retracted. When the automatic mode is selected, the control unit 32 reads various programs stored in the storage unit 34 and instructs the respective components to operate. When the manual mode is selected, the control unit 32 does not give an instruction to drive the drive source 7. However, when the manual mode is selected, the control unit 32 instructs the first and second detection units 36 and 38 to operate, which will be described later, and holds the detection results.

In the automatic mode, the drive motor 70 (see fig. 7) constituting the drive source 7 is driven by an instruction from the control unit 32, and the gear train mechanism 8 operates. The power is transmitted to the rack 63 formed on the tray 6 by the operation of the gear train mechanism 8. The power is transmitted to the rack 63, and the tray 6 is moved to the loading position and the storage position.

The first detection unit 36 is formed of a mechanical switch. The first detector 36 includes two detectors, a detector 361 for a4 and a detector 362 for A3, the detector 361 for a4 detecting the loaded position where the sheet S of a4 size is loaded, and the detector 362 for A3 detecting the loaded position where the sheet S of A3 size is loaded. Further, the control unit 32 stops the driving source 7 based on the detection result of the first detection unit 36.

The second detection unit 38 is constituted by an encoder, and is provided so as to mesh with a predetermined gear (the second gear 82 in the present embodiment) of the gear train mechanism 8. The second detection unit 38 detects the number of steps based on the rotation of the gear when the tray 6 is moved to the loading position.

The details of each component will be described later.

As shown in fig. 4, the tray 6 of the present embodiment is composed of two trays, i.e., a first tray 61 and a second tray 62. In the automatic mode, the first tray 61 and the second tray 62 are moved (elongated) corresponding to two sheet sizes of a4 size and A3 size. As shown in fig. 4, the tray 6 in the storage position is stored in an overlapped state in which the second tray 62 is positioned at the upper stage and the first tray 61 is positioned at the lower stage.

In the present embodiment, when the tray 6 is moved from the storage position to the loading position, the first tray 61 is first moved in the discharge direction D2 in the automatic mode, and after the first tray 61 is moved to the maximum extent, the second tray 62 is moved. Therefore, when the tray 6 is moved to the loading position, as shown in fig. 2, the first tray 61 is located on the downstream side in the discharge direction D2 with respect to the second tray 62. In other words, the second tray 62 is located on the upstream side of the first tray 61 in the discharge direction D2 of the sheet S at the loading position.

Further, by making the amount of movement of the second tray 62 different according to the size of the sheet S after the first tray 61 is moved to the maximum in the automatic mode, it is possible to move to the loading position corresponding to two sheet sizes of a4 size and A3 size.

As will be described in detail later, when the tray 6 is moved from the storage position to the loading position, in the manual mode, the user first grips the outer front end portion of the first tray 61 and pulls out the first tray 61 in the discharge direction D2, thereby pulling out (moving) the first tray 61 from the housing 200. When the first tray 61 is pulled out to the maximum extent, the pulling-out is continued, and the second tray 62 is pulled out in conjunction with the first tray 61 by engagement of engagement portions (not shown) formed therebetween. In the manual mode, the tray 6 can be pulled out and adjusted to a loading position desired by the user.

In the case of moving from the loading position to the storage position, as will be described in detail later, in the automatic mode, the second tray 62 is first moved in the direction opposite to the discharge direction D2, and after the second tray 62 is moved to the storage position, the first tray 61 is moved to the storage position. In the manual mode, when moving from the loading position to the storage position, the user grips the first tray 61 and pushes (moves) the tray in a direction opposite to the discharge direction D2. When the first tray 61 is pushed in to the maximum extent, the pushing is continued, and the second tray 62 abuts against an abutting portion (not shown) formed on the first tray 61, thereby pushing in the first tray 61 and the second tray 62.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing a state of the wheel train mechanism 8 when the tray 6 is at the storage position. Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which the tray 6 is moved to a loading position where a 3-sized sheets S are loaded. In fig. 5 and 6, the second detection unit 38 is also shown in addition to the gear train mechanism 8.

As shown in fig. 5 and 6, the gear train mechanism 8 is configured as a gear train unit 9 together with the drive source 7 (see fig. 7) and the second detection unit 38. Specifically, in the gear train mechanism 8, each gear described later constituting the gear train mechanism 8 is fixed and assembled at a predetermined position with the unit case 90 as a base, and functions as the gear train mechanism 8. The drive source 7 and the second detection unit 38 are assembled with the unit case 90 as a base, thereby constituting a gear train unit 9.

As shown in fig. 4, a rack 63 is formed on the right side surface of the tray 6. The rack gear 63 has a first rack gear 631 formed on the right side surface of the first tray 61 over substantially the entire surface. Further, in the rack gear 63, a second rack gear 632 is formed over substantially the entire right side surface of the second tray 62. The first and second racks 631 and 632 are each formed such that the tip of the blade faces in the right direction. The first and second racks 631 and 632 are formed such that the pitches of the blades are the same.

In detail, as shown in FIG. 4, the first tooth on the front side of the second rack 632 corresponds to the Nth tooth from the front side of the first rack 631 (N.gtoreq.2) with respect to the rack 63. In the second rack 632, a groove 625 is formed on the front side of the first tooth.

As shown in fig. 5, the wheel train unit 9 is provided on the front side of the housing 200 on the right side of the tray 6. In the gear train mechanism 8, a sixth gear 86, which is a pinion gear to be described later, meshes with the rack gear 63 of the tray 6.

Specifically, in the sixth gear 86, the sixth gear a861 and the sixth gear B862 are concentric and vertically overlap each other, and the pitch and diameter of both gears are the same. The upper sixth gear a861 meshes with the second rack 632, and the lower sixth gear B862 meshes with the first rack 631.

When the tray 6 is in the storage position, the sixth gear B862 meshes with the first rack 631, but the tooth tip of the sixth gear a861 is positioned in the groove portion 625 on the front side of the second rack 632, and therefore the sixth gear a861 does not mesh with the second rack 632.

Fig. 7 is a plan view showing a state of the train wheel mechanism 8 when the tray 6 moves from the storage position to the loading position in the automatic mode. In fig. 7, only the gear 385 is shown in the second detection unit 38. In fig. 7, the rotation direction of each gear is shown by an arrow. Fig. 8 is a side sectional view schematically showing the structure of the drive source 7 and the gear train mechanism 8. Fig. 8 shows a state in which the first planetary gears 751 are engaged with the fourth gear a841 in the automatic mode. Further, a state in which the sixth gear 86 is meshed with the rack gear 63 is shown.

First, the configurations of the drive source 7 and the gear train mechanism 8 will be described.

Rotation shafts 91 to 97 for rotatably supporting the respective gear shafts are provided upright on the unit case 90 of the gear train unit 9, and the respective gears are provided on the rotation shafts 91 to 97.

The gear train mechanism 8 includes a first gear 81, a second gear 82, a third gear 83, a planetary gear 75, a fourth gear 84, a fifth gear 85, and a sixth gear 86.

A drive motor 70 as a drive source 7 is provided in the unit case 90 such that the drive shaft 70A faces upward. A motor-side gear 71 is fixed to a drive shaft 70A of the drive motor 70. The motor-side gear 71 is integrally rotated by the rotation of the drive motor 70.

The first gear 81 is a gear that meshes with the motor-side gear 71 and the second gear 82. The first gear 81 has a first gear a811 on the lower side that meshes with the motor-side gear 71 and a first gear B812 on the upper side that meshes with the second gear 82, centered on the rotation shaft 91. The diameter of the first gear B812 is smaller than the diameter of the first gear a 811. Further, the motor side gear 71 and the first gear a811 are formed by helical gears. In addition, the first gear B812 is constituted by a spur gear.

The second gear 82 is a gear that meshes with the first gear 81 and the third gear 83. The second gear 82 is formed of one gear, and is provided to be rotatable about the rotation shaft 92.

The third gear 83 is a gear that meshes with the second gear 82 and the planetary gears 75. The third gear 83 has a third gear a831 engaged with the second gear 82 on the upper side and a third gear B832 engaged with the planetary gears 75 on the lower side, centered on the rotation shaft 93. The third gear B832 of the third gear 83 is configured as a so-called sun gear.

The planetary gear 75 is constituted by two gears of a first planetary gear 751 and a second planetary gear 752. The planetary gear 75 moves (revolves) in the rotational direction of the third gear B832 while rotating (rotating) while meshing with the third gear B832 around the third gear B832 which is a sun gear. In other words, the two planetary gears 75 (the first planetary gear 751 and the second planetary gear 752) revolve while rotating around the third gear B832 which is a sun gear.

As shown in fig. 7 and 8, first planetary gears 751 and second planetary gears 752 are coupled to each other by a carrier 750. Therefore, the first planetary gear 751 and the second planetary gear 752 are fixed in relative position with respect to the third gear B832, rotate while meshing with the third gear B832 and revolve around the third gear B832.

The fourth gear 84 is a gear that meshes with either one of the planetary gears 75 and the fifth gear 85. Further, the fourth gear 84 and the planetary gear 75 have a state of not meshing according to the instruction of the control portion 32. The fourth gear 84 has a fourth gear a841 on the upper side thereof, which is meshed with the planetary gears 75, and a fourth gear B842 on the lower side thereof, which is meshed with the fifth gear 85, with the rotating shaft 94 as the center. The diameter of the fourth gear B842 is smaller than the diameter of the fourth gear a 841.

In addition, in a state where the automatic mode is selected, as shown in fig. 7, when the tray 6 is moved to the loading position, the first planetary gears 751 and the fourth gear a841 are in a meshed state. In the state where the automatic mode is selected, as shown in fig. 12 to be described later, when the tray 6 is moved to the storage position, the second planetary gears 752 and the fourth gear a841 are in a meshed state. In the state where the manual mode is selected, as shown in fig. 13 described later, when the tray 6 is moved, the second planetary gears 752 and the first planetary gears 751 are in a non-engaged state in which the engagement with the fourth gear a841 is released.

The fifth gear 85 is a gear that meshes with the fourth gear 84 and the sixth gear 86. The fifth gear 85 has a fifth gear a851 meshing with the fourth gear B842 on the upper side and a fifth gear B852 meshing with the sixth gear 86 on the lower side around the rotation shaft 95. The diameter of the fifth gear B852 is smaller than the diameter of the fifth gear a 851.

The sixth gear 86 functions as a pinion gear, and is a gear that meshes with the fifth gear 85 and the rack 63. The sixth gear 86 has a sixth gear a861 on the upper side and a sixth gear B862 on the lower side, which are engaged with the fifth gear B852, around the rotation shaft 96. The sixth gear a861 functioning as a pinion gear meshes with the second rack 632 formed in the second tray 62. Further, a sixth gear B862 functioning as a pinion gear meshes with the first rack 631 formed in the first tray 61.

The planetary gear 75 is formed between the drive source 7 and the fourth gear a 841. The fourth gear a841 is a gear that transmits power to and from the sixth gear 86 (pinion gear).

Next, the operations of the drive source 7 and the gear train mechanism 8 when the tray 6 is moved from the storage position to the loading position in the automatic mode will be described.

As shown in fig. 7 and 8, in the automatic mode, when the tray 6 is moved to the loading position, the drive motor 70 starts rotating in one direction in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 32. In the present embodiment, the clockwise rotation is performed. The rotation (power) of the drive motor 70 is transmitted to a first gear a811 constituting the first gear 81 via the motor-side gear 71. The first gear 81 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction by this transmission.

The rotation (power) transmitted to the first gear 81 is transmitted to the second gear 82 via the first gear B812. The second gear 82 is rotated in the clockwise direction by this transmission. The rotation (power) transmitted to the second gear 82 is transmitted to a third gear a831 constituting the third gear 83. The third gear 83 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction by the transmission.

The rotation (power) transmitted to the third gear 83 is transmitted to the planetary gear 75 via the third gear B832. By this transmission, both the first planetary gear 751 and the second planetary gear 752 of the planetary gear 75 rotate (rotate) in the clockwise direction. At the same time, the planetary gear 75 rotates (revolves) around the third gear B832 in the counterclockwise direction, which is the rotational direction of the third gear B832 functioning as the sun gear.

The planetary gear 75 rotates (revolves) counterclockwise and moves, and the first planetary gear 751 is engaged with the fourth gear a841 constituting the fourth gear 84, and power is transmitted to the fourth gear a 841. The second planetary gear 752 rotates (rotates) while meshing with the third gear B832 only, and does not mesh with another gear. The fourth gear 84 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction by this transmission.

The rotation (power) transmitted to the fourth gear 84 is transmitted to a fifth gear a851 constituting the fifth gear 85 via a fourth gear B842. The fifth gear 85 is rotated in the clockwise direction by the transmission.

The rotation (power) transmitted to the fifth gear 85 is transmitted to a sixth gear a861 constituting the sixth gear 86 via a fifth gear B852. By this transmission, the sixth gear a861 and the sixth gear B862 of the sixth gear 86 serving as the pinion gears are both rotated in the counterclockwise direction. The sixth gear 86 rotates counterclockwise, and the tray 6 is moved in the discharge direction D2 via the meshed racks 63.

Here, the operations of the sixth gear 86 and the rack 63 when the tray 6 is moved from the storage position to the loading position in the automatic mode will be described, including fig. 4 to 6.

As shown in fig. 5, when the tray 6 is located at the storage position, the sixth gear B862 is in a state of meshing with the first rack 631. The sixth gear a861 is located in the groove portion 625 on the front side of the second rack 632, and is not meshed with the second rack 632.

In this state, the drive motor 70 starts driving and rotates clockwise according to an instruction from the control unit 32, and the power is finally transmitted to the sixth gear 86 as described above, so that the sixth gear 86 rotates counterclockwise. In this case, since the sixth gear B862 engages with the first rack 631, the first tray 61 in which the first rack 631 is formed starts to move in the discharge direction D2.

As shown in fig. 6, a groove portion 615 is formed on the rear side of the first rack 631 on the opposite side of the discharge direction D2. In a state where the first rack 631 meshing with the sixth gear B862 has moved to the maximum extent in the discharge direction D2, the plurality of first racks 631 on the front side of the groove portion 615 and the second rack 632 formed on the rear side of the groove portion 625 overlap each other in a plan view. Fig. 8 illustrates a state of the sixth gear 86 and the rack 63 in a cross-sectional view in which the first rack 631 and the second rack 632 overlap each other in a plan view.

According to this configuration, when the first rack 631 meshing with the sixth gear B862 has moved to the maximum in the discharge direction D2, the sixth gear a861 and the second rack 632 are in a meshed state. The second rack 632 is engaged with the sixth gear a861, and the second tray 62 on which the second rack 632 is formed starts to move in the discharge direction D2. Meanwhile, since the sixth gear B862 is located at the groove portion 615, the first rack 631 is not transmitted with power.

Therefore, the second tray 62 moves in the discharge direction D2 while holding the state in which the first tray 61 has moved maximally in the discharge direction D2 with respect to the second tray 62. When the second tray 62 moves in the discharge direction D2, the amount of movement of the second tray 62 is set to correspond to the size of the printed sheet S (a4 size, A3 size).

Fig. 9 and 10 are schematic cross-sectional views for explaining the detection operation of the first detection unit 36. Fig. 9 shows a state where the first detection unit 36 is "OFF (OFF)", and fig. 10 shows a state where the first detection unit 36 is "ON (ON)".

The first detection unit 36 and its peripheral structure will be explained.

The placement surface 62a of the second tray 62 is formed with a detection assisting unit 621 for a4 and a detection assisting unit 622 for A3, which are formed with concave portions or convex portions to detect that the tray 6 has reached each of the placement positions for a4 size and A3 size. In the present embodiment, the detection assisting section 621 for a4 and the detection assisting section 622 for A3 are formed by concave portions.

In addition, a detection auxiliary unit 621 for a4 is provided with a detection unit 361 for a4 constituting the first detection unit 36 at an upper portion thereof. Further, a detection unit 362 for A3 constituting the first detection unit 36 is provided in an upper portion thereof, corresponding to the detection assisting unit 622 for A3. As described above, the first detection unit 36 is formed of a mechanical switch.

As shown in fig. 10, when the tray 6 reaches the loading position for the a4 size, the detection unit 361 for a4 detects a change in height from the recess to the placement surface 62a in the detection assisting unit 621 for a4, and outputs a change from "off" to "on" to the control unit 32, for example. Similarly, when tray 6 reaches the loading position for A3 size, detection unit 362 for A3 detects a change in height from the recess to placement surface 62a in detection assisting unit 622 for A3, and outputs a change from "off" to "on", for example, to control unit 32.

The control unit 32 determines that the tray 6 has moved to the loading position corresponding to the paper size and instructs the drive motor 70 to stop driving, when the signal from the first detection unit 36 changes from "off" to "on".

Fig. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the structure and operation of the second detection unit 38.

The second detection unit 38 will be described.

As shown in fig. 11, the second detection unit 38 is formed of an incremental rotary encoder. In the second detection unit 38, the encoder body 381 includes a light emitting unit 382 and a light receiving unit 383, the light emitting unit 382 includes a light emitting diode that emits infrared light, and the light receiving unit 383 includes a photodiode or a phototransistor. The second detection unit 38 includes a transparent disk 384, and a structure unit (not shown) for transmitting and blocking light is formed at equal intervals around the outer periphery of the disk 384 and is formed to be turned on and off.

The light emitting unit 382 and the light receiving unit 383 are provided to face each other in the vertical direction with a structural portion formed on the outer peripheral portion of the circular plate 384 interposed therebetween. The second detection unit 38 includes a gear 385 coaxial with the disc 384 and is provided to be rotatable about the rotation shaft 97. The circular plate 384 rotates integrally in accordance with the rotation of the gear 385.

In the present embodiment, the gear 385 of the second detection unit 38 meshes with the second gear 82 of the gear train mechanism 8. Accordingly, the rotation of the second gear 82 is transmitted to the gear 385, and the gear 385 rotates. The disk 384 rotates in response to the rotation of the gear 385, and the second detection unit 38 detects on/off. Since the output waveform generated by receiving light by the second detection unit 38 is an analog sine wave close to a triangular wave, the waveform is shaped by an amplifier (not shown) provided in a subsequent stage and converted into a rectangular wave signal. The second detection unit 38 includes a counter (not shown) for converting the rotation angle (rotation displacement amount) into the number of steps and counting the steps.

The second detection unit 38 also functions when the tray 6 is moved to the loading position. Specifically, the control unit 32 reads the number of steps until the tray 6 reaches each loading position from the storage unit 34. The number of steps to be read is set to be larger than the number of steps required to actually reach the loading position.

It is essential that the first detection unit 36 detects that the tray 6 has reached the loading position, but for example, when the first detection unit 36 does not function, the control unit 32 determines whether or not the set number of steps has been reached by the second detection unit 38, and when the set number of steps has been reached, stops the rotation of the drive motor 70 and stops the movement of the tray 6. In this way, the second detection unit 38 also functions as a detection unit in place of the first detection unit 36.

When the tray 6 is moved in the automatic mode and stopped at the predetermined loading position, the control unit 32 then releases the engagement state of the first planetary gears 751 and the fourth gear a841 to set the tray in the non-engagement state. The same applies to a case where the tray 6 is moved in the automatic mode and stopped at a predetermined storage position, which will be described later. After the movement to the storage position, the engagement state between the second planetary gear 752 and the fourth gear a841 is released, and the engaged state is set to the disengaged state.

As described above, in the present embodiment, when the tray 6 is moved to the loading position or the storage position in the automatic mode, immediately after that, the engagement between the planetary gear 75 and the fourth gear 84 (the fourth gear a841) is released. In the present embodiment, the position of the planetary gear 75 when the planetary gear 75 is in a non-meshing state with respect to the fourth gear 84 is referred to as a retracted position.

In order to bring the first planetary gear 751 and the fourth gear a841 into a non-meshed state, the control unit 32 instructs the drive motor 70 as follows: the drive motor 70 is rotated in the direction opposite to the rotation direction when moving to the loading position. In this case, the drive motor 70 rotates counterclockwise.

When the drive motor 70 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction, the second planetary gear 752 meshes with the fourth gear a841, and the tray 6 starts to move to the storage position. Therefore, the control unit 32 controls the rotation of the drive motor 70 so that the engagement state of the first planetary gear 751 and the fourth gear a841 is released and the second planetary gear 752 is not engaged with the fourth gear a 841.

Specifically, the control unit 32 reads the number of steps of the second detection unit 38 required to release the meshing state between the first planetary gear 751 and the fourth gear a841 and to prevent the second planetary gear 752 from meshing with the fourth gear a841 from the storage unit 34. Then, the control unit 32 rotates the drive motor 70 in the counterclockwise direction. The second detection unit 38 counts the number of steps based on the rotation of the disk 384. When the predetermined count number is reached, the control unit 32 stops the rotation of the drive motor 70.

In this way, the drive source 7 and the gear train mechanism 8 including the control unit 32 can be set to the following states: the meshed state of the first planetary gears 751 and the fourth gear a841 is released, and the second planetary gears 752 are not meshed with the fourth gear a 841. By setting the planetary gear 75 to the non-engagement state where it is not engaged with the fourth gear 84, the gear train mechanism 8 and the drive source 7 can be protected when the user moves the tray 6 from the loading position by hand.

Specifically, when the tray 6 is manually moved in the direction of the storage position, for example, the sixth gear 86 is rotated by the movement of the tray 6, and the rotation is transmitted to the second gear 84 via the fifth gear 85. However, since the second gear 84 and the planetary gear 75 are not in mesh with each other, the rotation of the fourth gear 84 due to the movement of the tray 6 is not transmitted to the planetary gear 75. Therefore, the third gear 83, the second gear 82, the first gear 81, and the drive motor 70 do not rotate. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the damage of the gears in the train wheel mechanism 8, the generation of the counter electromotive force of the drive motor 70, and the like.

In the automatic mode, when the tray 6 is moved to the loading position corresponding to, for example, the a4 size, the user manually moves the tray 6 further in the discharge direction D2 to reach the loading position corresponding to the A3 size, and similarly, the rotation of the fourth gear 84 due to the movement of the tray 6 is not transmitted to the planetary gears 75.

Fig. 12 is a plan view showing a state of the train wheel mechanism 8 when the tray 6 moves from the loading position to the storage position in the automatic mode.

The operation of moving the tray 6 from the loading position to the storage position in the automatic mode will be described. In fig. 12, the rotation direction of each gear is shown by an arrow.

In order to move the tray 6 from the loading position to the storage position, the control unit 32 instructs the drive motor 70 to: the drive motor 70 is rotated in a direction opposite to the rotation direction when moving to the loading position (counterclockwise direction in the present embodiment).

When the drive motor 70 rotates counterclockwise, the meshing relationship between the first gear 81, the second gear 82, and the third gear 83 is the same as that when the drive motor moves to the loading position, but the rotation direction is opposite. When the rotation (power) is transmitted to the third gear 83 meshing with the second gear 82, the third gear a831 rotates clockwise.

The rotation (power) transmitted to the third gear a831 is transmitted to the planetary gears 75 via the third gear B832. Both the first planetary gear 751 and the second planetary gear 752 of the planetary gear 75 rotate (rotate) in the counterclockwise direction by this transmission. At the same time, the planetary gear 75 rotates (revolves) in the clockwise direction of the rotational direction of the third gear 83 (third gear B832) as the sun gear.

The planetary gear 75 rotates (revolves) in the clockwise direction and moves, and the second planetary gear 752 meshes with the fourth gear a841, and power is transmitted to the fourth gear a 841. The first planetary gear 751 rotates (rotates) while meshing with only the third gear B832, and does not mesh with other gears. The fourth gear 84 is rotated in the clockwise direction by this transmission.

The meshing relationship between the fifth gear 85 and the sixth gear 86 after the fourth gear 84 is the same as that when the loading position is moved. When the rotation (power) transmitted to the fourth gear 84 is transmitted to the sixth gear 86, the sixth gear 86 rotates in the clockwise direction.

As shown in fig. 6, in the loading position, the sixth gear a861 is engaged with the second rack 632 of the second tray 62 of the upper stage of the tray 6. Further, the sixth gear B862 is separated from the first rack 631 of the first tray 61 of the lower stage of the tray 6 without being engaged. Therefore, the sixth gear a861 rotating in the clockwise direction starts the second rack 632 meshing with the first gear a861 to move in the direction of the storage position opposite to the discharge direction D2. Thereby, the second tray 62 starts moving in the direction of the storage position. The first tray 61 moves in accordance with the movement of the second tray 62.

When the sixth gear a861 is positioned in the groove portion 625 of the second tray 62, the sixth gear B862 is in a state of meshing with the first rack 631. Accordingly, the first rack 631 starts to move in the direction of the storage position by the rotation of the sixth gear B862. Thereby, the first tray 61 starts moving in the direction of the storage position.

When the first tray 61 starts moving in the direction of the storage position, the second tray 62 is moved to the storage position as the second tray 62 before that. Therefore, the second tray 62 stops moving thereafter.

As shown in fig. 4 and 5, when the rotation of the sixth gear B862 is continued so that the sixth gear B862 meshes with the front teeth of the first rack 631, the control unit 32 instructs the drive motor 70 to stop the driving. In detail, in the present embodiment, when the sixth gear B862 is engaged with the front teeth of the first rack 631, the first tray 61 is in a state of abutting against a first tray abutting portion (not shown) provided inside the housing 200.

The control unit 32 detects that the first tray 61 is in a state of abutting against the first tray abutting portion by a threshold value of the overcurrent applied to the drive motor 70. When the overcurrent exceeds the threshold value, the control unit 32 determines that the tray 6 has moved to the storage position, and instructs the drive motor 70 to stop driving. By the above operation, the tray 6 can be moved to the storage position.

When the tray 6 is moved to the predetermined storage position in the automatic mode, the control unit 32 then releases the engagement state between the second planetary gears 752 and the fourth gear a841 to set the tray to a non-engagement state.

Specifically, the control unit 32 reads the number of steps of the second detection unit 38 required to cancel the meshing state between the second planetary gear 752 and the fourth gear a841 and to prevent the first planetary gear 751 from meshing with the fourth gear a841 from the storage unit 34. Then, the control unit 32 instructs the drive motor 70 to: the drive motor 70 is rotated in a direction opposite to the rotation direction when the storage position is moved. In this case, the drive motor 70 rotates clockwise.

The second detection unit 38 counts the number of steps based on the rotation of the disk 384. When the predetermined count number is reached, the control unit 32 stops the rotation of the drive motor 70. This operation can cancel the engagement state between the second planetary gear 752 and the fourth gear a841 and prevent the first planetary gear 751 from engaging with the fourth gear a 841.

Fig. 13 is a plan view showing a state of the train wheel mechanism 8 when the tray 6 is moved from the storage position to the loading position in the manual mode. The operation of moving the tray 6 from the storage position to the loading position desired by the user in the manual mode will be described. In addition, when the tray 6 is moved to a position desired by the user, the tray 6 is stopped at the position.

Specifically, the user grips the first tray 61 and pulls out the tray 6 stored therein in the discharge direction D2. This operation starts the movement of the first tray 61 in the discharge direction D2. By the movement of the first tray 61, the first rack 631 also moves. The sixth gear 86 (sixth gear B862) of the gear train mechanism 8 rotates counterclockwise as the first rack 631 moves in the discharge direction D2.

Then, the fifth gear 85 (fifth gear B852) rotates in the clockwise direction by the rotation of the sixth gear 86 (sixth gear a 861). The rotation of the fifth gear 85 (fifth gear a851) causes the fourth gear 84 (fourth gear B842) to rotate counterclockwise.

However, since the engagement between the planetary gear 75 and the fourth gear 84 (fourth gear a841) is released, when the fourth gear 84 (fourth gear B842) rotates counterclockwise, the rotation is not transmitted to the planetary gear 75. Therefore, no rotation is transmitted to the third gear 83, the second gear 82, the first gear 81, and the drive source 7, which are formed after the planetary gear 75.

When the user continues to pull out the first tray 61 to the maximum extent, the second tray 62 is pulled out next to the first tray 61. In this state, the second rack 632 formed on the second tray 62 rotates the sixth gear a861 of the meshed sixth gear 86 in the counterclockwise direction. In this case as well, since the engagement between the planetary gear 75 and the fourth gear 84 (fourth gear a841) is released, when the fourth gear 84 (fourth gear B842) rotates, the rotation is not transmitted to the planetary gear 75.

In addition, the user stops the pulling-out at a desired appropriate position, thereby causing the tray 6 to be fixed. In this case, the position of the tray 6 pulled out and stopped by the user becomes the loading position.

Next, an operation of moving the tray 6 from the loading position to the storage position in the manual mode will be described. In addition, it is assumed that the manual mode is selected by the user.

With the tray 6 at the loading position, the user grips the first tray 61 and pushes it in a direction opposite to the discharge direction D2. In the manual mode, when the first tray 61 is gripped and moved from the loading position to the storage position, first, the first tray 61 is pushed in a direction opposite to the discharge direction D2. Next, the second tray 62 is moved together with the first tray 61 in a direction opposite to the discharge direction D2 to the storage position.

When the tray 6 is manually moved from the loading position to the storage position, one of the sixth gear B862 meshing with the first rack 631 and the sixth gear a861 meshing with the second rack 632 rotates, and the rotation is transmitted to the fourth gear 84. The rotation direction of each gear is opposite to the rotation direction shown in fig. 13. In this case as well, since the engagement between the planetary gear 75 and the fourth gear 84 (fourth gear a841) is released, when the fourth gear 84 (fourth gear B842) rotates, the rotation is not transmitted to the planetary gear 75.

As described above, in the automatic mode, when the loading position is moved, the planetary gear 75 is moved to a position where the first planetary gear 751 and the fourth gear 84 are engaged with each other. In the automatic mode, when the planetary gear 75 is moved to the storage position, the second planetary gear 752 is moved to a position where it meshes with the fourth gear 84.

In the present embodiment, after moving to the loading position and the storage position in the automatic mode, the planetary gear 75 is moved to a position (retracted position) where it does not mesh with the fourth gear 84. This is to cope with the manual mode being selected and the accidental manual movement of the tray 6. Therefore, the rotation of the fourth gear 84 is not transmitted to the planetary gear 75 not only when the tray 6 is moved in the manual mode but also when the tray 6 is accidentally moved by the manual operation.

In the automatic mode, the planetary gear 75 is moved to a position where it meshes with the fourth gear 84. In response to the manual mode, the planetary gear 75 is moved to a position (retracted position) where it does not mesh with the fourth gear 84. In this way, in the present embodiment, the automatic mode and the manual mode are switched by the position of the planetary gear 75.

Further, a case will be described in which the tray 6 is manually moved to the loading position and the storage position when power is not supplied to the recording apparatus 1, such as when a power cord (not shown) is pulled off during the movement of the tray 6 to the loading position in the automatic mode or when a power failure occurs during the movement to the storage position in the automatic mode.

In this case, since the tray 6 is moving, any one of the planetary gears 75 is engaged with the fourth gear a 841. Therefore, when the tray 6 is forcibly moved manually, rotation (power) is transmitted to the drive motor 70.

However, in the present embodiment, since the planetary gear 75 is used, even in a state where the planetary gear 75 is engaged with the fourth gear a841, the tray 6 can be pushed and pulled with a small force repeatedly, and the engagement can be released by the characteristics of the planetary gear 75. Therefore, even when power is not supplied to the recording apparatus 1 while the tray 6 is being moved, the tray 6 can be extended and contracted, and the influence on the gear train mechanism 8 and the drive source 7 can be eliminated.

According to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

The recording apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes a recording unit 24, a tray 6, a control unit 32, and the like. The tray 6 can move to a loading position where the discharged sheets S are loaded and a storage position where the sheets S are stored in the casing 200. The control unit 32 switches between an automatic mode for automatically moving the tray 6 to the loading position and the storage position and a manual mode for manually moving the tray 6 to the loading position and the storage position.

In this way, the control unit 32 can switch between an automatic mode in which the tray 6 is automatically extended and retracted and a manual mode in which the tray 6 is manually extended and retracted, and the user can select the automatic mode and the manual mode. Therefore, the convenience of extension and contraction of the tray 6 can be improved.

The recording apparatus 1 includes a drive motor 70 as a drive source 7 and a gear train mechanism 8. The drive motor 70 drives the train mechanism 8. The train wheel mechanism 8 moves the tray 6 to the loading position and the storage position. Further, the train wheel mechanism 8 has planetary gears 75. The automatic mode and the manual mode are switched by the position of the planetary gear 75.

This makes it possible to easily switch between the automatic mode and the manual mode, and to easily move the tray 6 to the loading position and the storage position.

In the recording apparatus 1, the tray 6 is formed with a rack 63 that meshes with the gear train mechanism 8. The gear train mechanism 8 includes a sixth gear 86 as a pinion gear that meshes with the rack gear 63, and a fourth gear 84 as a gear that transmits power to and from the sixth gear 86. The planetary gear 75 is formed between the drive motor 70 and the fourth gear 84. In the automatic mode, the planetary gear 75 and the fourth gear 84 are meshed with each other, and in the manual mode, the planetary gear 75 and the fourth gear 84 are not meshed with each other.

Thus, in the automatic mode, since the planetary gear 75 and the fourth gear 84 are in the engaged state, the power of the drive motor 70 is sequentially transmitted to the planetary gear 75, the fourth gear 84, the sixth gear 86, and the rack 63, and the tray 6 is moved to the loading position and the storage position. In the manual mode, since the planetary gear 75 and the fourth gear 84 are in a non-meshed state, when the tray 6 is manually moved to the loading position and the storage position, the power accompanying the movement of the tray 6 is sequentially transmitted to the rack 63 and the fourth gear 84. However, since the planetary gear 75 and the fourth gear 84 are in a non-meshed state, power is not transmitted from the fourth gear 84 to the planetary gear 75. Therefore, the tray 6 can be moved smoothly by manual operation. Further, since the power based on the movement of the tray 6 is not transmitted to the driving motor 70, it is possible to prevent a load (counter electromotive force) from being applied to the driving motor 70.

In the recording apparatus 1, after the tray 6 is moved to the loading position or the storage position in the automatic mode, the planetary gear 75 is moved to the retreat position in which it is not engaged with the fourth gear 84 by the operation of the drive motor 70 and the gear train mechanism 8.

Accordingly, when the tray 6 is intentionally or unintentionally moved in the discharge direction D2 or the storage position after the tray 6 is moved to the loading position or the storage position, the planet gear 75 is moved to the retracted position in which it is not engaged with the fourth gear 84, and therefore the movement of the tray 6 can be smoothly performed, and a load can be prevented from being applied to the drive motor 70.

The recording apparatus 1 includes an operation unit 4 for inputting instructions to the control unit 32. Then, switching between the input automatic mode and the manual mode is instructed using the display panel 43 of the operation unit 4. Therefore, the user can easily switch the automatic mode and the manual mode.

In the recording apparatus 1, the tray 6 includes the first tray 61 and the second tray 62 located upstream of the first tray 61 in the discharge direction D2 of the sheet S at the loading position. The second tray 62 is configured to be movable to a stacking position corresponding to a 4-sized sheet S and a stacking position corresponding to A3-sized sheet S in the automatic mode. In the present embodiment, when tray 6 is moved to each of the loading positions of the a4 size and the A3 size, first tray 61 is moved to the maximum extent, and then second tray 62 is moved to the respective set positions.

This enables setting of a stacking position corresponding to the size of the sheets S, and thus enables satisfactory stacking of the discharged sheets S. Further, since the tray can be moved to the loading position for the a4 size and the loading position for the A3 size by simply adjusting the second tray 62, the configuration of the tray 6 and the gear train mechanism 8 and the control of the controller 32 can be facilitated.

2. Modification example 1

In the recording apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, after the first tray 61 is moved to the maximum, the amount of movement of the second tray 62 is made different so as to correspond to the size of the sheet S, and the sheet S can be moved to the loading position corresponding to two sheet sizes, i.e., a4 size and A3 size. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the loading position may be set to a moving amount of three or more of the second tray 62. This enables setting of loading positions corresponding to various paper sizes.

3. Modification 2

In the recording apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, when the current loading position is the loading position for a4 size and a sheet S of A3 size is to be printed next, the control unit 32 may instruct the drive motor 70 to drive the gear train mechanism 8 and move the second tray 62 constituting the tray 6 further to the loading position for A3 size in the discharge direction D2. In this case, when the discharged a4 size sheet S is not picked up, the tray 6 can be moved to the A3 size loading position by the detection of the second detecting portion 38.

Conversely, when the current loading position is the loading position for A3 size, the discharged A3 size sheets S have been removed from the tray 6, and the a4 size sheets S are to be printed next, the controller 32 may instruct the drive motor 70 to drive the gear train mechanism 8 to move the second tray 62 constituting the tray 6 to the loading position for a4 size in the direction opposite to the discharge direction D2. In this case, since the a 4-sized sheet S is smaller than the A3-sized sheet S, the tray 6 can maintain the current loading position for the A3 size.

As described above, the convenience of the tray 6 in the automatic mode can be further improved by switching the loading position every time depending on the size of the discharged sheets S while continuing printing.

The following describes contents derived from the above-described embodiment and modifications.

The recording device is characterized by comprising: a recording unit that records on a medium; a housing accommodating the recording unit; a tray movable to a loading position where the medium to be recorded and discharged is loaded and a storage position where the medium is stored in the housing; and a control unit that switches between an automatic mode that automatically moves the tray to the loading position and the storage position and a manual mode that manually moves the tray to the loading position and the storage position.

According to this configuration, the tray can be switched between an automatic mode in which the tray is automatically retracted and extended and a manual mode in which the tray is manually retracted and extended, and the user can select the automatic mode and the manual mode. Therefore, the convenience of extension and contraction of the tray can be improved.

Preferably, the above-described recording apparatus includes a gear train mechanism including a plurality of gears for moving the tray to the loading position and the storage position, and a drive source for driving the gear train mechanism, wherein the gear train mechanism includes a planetary gear, and the automatic mode and the manual mode are switched by switching a position of the planetary gear.

According to this configuration, the gear train mechanism includes a planetary gear and a drive source. The automatic mode and the manual mode are switched by the position of the planetary gear. This makes it possible to easily switch between the automatic mode and the manual mode, and to easily move the tray to the loading position and the storage position.

In the above-described recording apparatus, it is preferable that the tray is formed with a rack that meshes with the gear train mechanism, the gear train mechanism includes a pinion that meshes with the rack and a gear that transmits power to the pinion, the planetary gear is provided between the drive source and the gear, and the planetary gear and the gear are in a meshed state in the automatic mode and are in a non-meshed state in the manual mode.

According to this configuration, since the pinion and the gear are in the engaged state in the automatic mode, the power of the drive source is transmitted to the pinion, the gear, the pinion, and the rack in this order, and the tray is moved to the loading position and the storage position. Further, since the planetary gear and the gear are in a non-meshed state in the manual mode, when the tray is manually moved to the loading position and the storage position, the power accompanying the movement of the tray is sequentially transmitted to the rack and the gear. However, since the planetary gear is not meshed with the gear, no power is transmitted from the gear to the planetary gear. Therefore, the tray can be moved smoothly by hand. Further, since the power based on the movement of the tray is not transmitted to the driving source, it is possible to prevent a load (e.g., a counter electromotive force or the like) from being applied to the driving source.

In the above-described recording apparatus, it is preferable that the planetary gear is moved to a retracted position in which the planetary gear is not engaged with the gear after the tray is moved to the loading position or the storage position in the automatic mode.

According to this configuration, when the tray is intentionally or unintentionally moved in the direction of the discharge direction or the storage position after the tray is moved to the loading position or the storage position, the planetary gear is moved to the retracted position in which the planetary gear is not engaged with the gear, so that the tray can be smoothly moved, and a load can be prevented from being applied to the drive source.

Preferably, the recording apparatus described above further includes an operation unit configured to instruct the control unit to input switching between the automatic mode and the manual mode.

According to this configuration, the user can easily switch the automatic mode and the manual mode.

Preferably, in the above-described recording apparatus, the tray is configured to be movable to a plurality of positions in the automatic mode.

Preferably, in the above-described recording apparatus, the tray includes a first tray and a second tray, the second tray is located upstream of the first tray in the discharge direction of the medium at the loading position, and the second tray is configured to be movable to a plurality of positions in the automatic mode.

According to this configuration, the second tray is configured to be movable to a plurality of positions in the automatic mode, and the tray can be set to a loading position corresponding to the size of the medium, for example, and the discharged medium can be loaded satisfactorily. Further, since the tray can be moved to a plurality of loading positions by adjusting only the second tray, the configuration of the tray, the gear train mechanism, and the control of the control unit can be facilitated.