Patent Publication Number: US-2022212888-A1

Title: Feed device

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This is a continuation application of International Application No. PCT/JP2020/036238 filed on Sep. 25, 2020 which claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-180734 filed on Sep. 30, 2019. The entire contents of the earlier applications are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to a feed device in which a feed tray which accommodates a medium is provided to be installable to and removable from a housing. 
     BACKGROUND 
     A related-art discloses two paper feed trays that are installed to be freely pulled out of a main body of an image processing device and accommodate a roll body of a medium rolled in a roll shape. The paper feed trays are disposed in two stages including an upper stage and a lower stage, and respectively include a feed-out roller that conveys the medium unrolled from the roll body, a paper feed path that guides the medium conveyed by the feed-out roller, and a cutter cutting the medium passing through the paper feed path. 
     SUMMARY 
     Illustrative aspects of the present disclosure provide a feed device that reduces occurrence of paper feed failure of a medium caused by an operation of installing and removing a feed tray to and from a housing. 
     A feed device of the present disclosure includes: a feed tray configured to accommodate a roll, in which a medium is rolled in a roll shape, rotatably; a housing that configured to support the feed tray installable; and a pull-back mechanism configured to pull back the medium unrolled from the roll in a direction orthogonal to a rotation axis of the roll in conjunction with an outward movement of the feed tray from the housing in the direction orthogonal to the rotation axis of the roll. 
     According to a feed device of the present disclosure, when a feed tray is removed from a housing, a medium unrolled from a roll is pulled back. Therefore, when the feed tray is reinstalled to the housing, a tip of the medium hardly contacts the housing and the like, such that the medium is hardly bent. Therefore, it is possible to prevent occurrence of paper feed failure of the medium caused by an operation of installing and removing the feed tray to and from the housing. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       Illustrative embodiments of the disclosure will be described in detail based on the following figures, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a printer in which a feed device according to an illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure is adopted; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic side view illustrating an internal structure of the printer illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic plan view of the printer illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a block diagram of a controller; 
         FIG. 5  is a side view illustrating an internal structure of the feed device and illustrating a fully installed state of a second feed tray on a housing; 
         FIG. 6  is a plan view of the feed device illustrated in  FIG. 1  in a state where a medium is not accommodated; 
         FIG. 7  illustrates the internal structure of the feed device, and is a side view when a pinion gear starts to be engaged with a rack gear in a half-installed state of the second feed tray on the housing; 
         FIG. 8  illustrates the internal structure of the feed device, and is a side view when the pinion gear is engaged with the rack gear in the half-installed state of the second feed tray on the housing; and 
         FIG. 9  illustrates the internal structure of the feed device, and is a side view when the pinion gear is located in front of the rack gear in the half-installed state of the second feed tray on the housing. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Since the paper feed tray described in the related art includes the cutter in addition to the feed-out roller, the paper feed tray itself has a complicated configuration. Therefore, for example, the present inventor examines simplification of the configuration of the paper feed tray itself by installing the feed-out roller and the cutter in a housing for installing the paper feed tray provided in the main body of the image processing device, or on a side of an additional housing installable to and removable from the main body of the image processing device and provided for installing the paper feed tray. As a result, the following problems are required to be considered. 
     When a cutting mechanism such as a cutter is provided on the housing side, a tip of the medium cut by the cutting mechanism is disposed at a position protruding above the paper feed tray. When the paper feed tray is moved in this state and removed from the housing, and then the paper feed tray is reinstalled to the housing, the tip of the medium may contact a component provided in the housing (for example, a paper feed roller and the like) such that the medium may be bent. When the medium is bent due to an operation of installing and removing the paper feed tray to and from the housing in this manner, paper feed failure may occur after the paper peed tray is installed thereon. 
     Therefore, illustrative aspects of the present disclosure provide a feed device that reduces occurrence of paper feed failure of a medium caused by an operation of installing and removing a feed tray to and from a housing. 
     Hereinafter, a printer  1  in which a feed device  3  according to an illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure is adopted will be described. The printer  1  is installed and used in a state illustrated in  FIG. 1 . In the illustrative embodiment, three directions indicated by arrows in  FIG. 1  are an up and down direction A 1 , a front and rear direction A 2 , and a left and right direction A 3 . The three directions illustrated in  FIG. 1  are the same in the other drawings. 
     Overview of Printer  1   
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the printer  1  is formed in an approximately rectangular parallelepiped shape, and includes a printer main body  2  and the additional feed device  3  installed to a lower portion of the printer main body  2 . The printer main body  2  includes a housing  11 . An opening  12  is formed approximately in the center of a front wall  11   a  of the housing  11 . A first feed tray  15  and a paper discharge tray  16  are provided in two upper and lower stages. The first feed tray  15  is configured to be insertable into and removable from the opening  12  in the front and rear direction A 2 , that is, to be installable to and removable from the housing  11 . A cut sheet paper P 1  of a desired size (for example, an A4 size) is placed on the first feed tray  15 . The printer main body  2  is connectable to an external device such as a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as a PC). Next, a recording operation is executed based on a recording command from the PC. Various functions are also executed by a user operating an operation button. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the front wall  11   a  of the housing  11  includes an opening and closing cover  4  on a right side part thereof. The opening and closing cover  4  is configured to be pivotable at a lower end portion thereof with a rotation axis (not illustrated) along the left and right direction A 3  as a rotation center. 
     Internal Structure of Printer Main Body  2   
     Next, an internal structure of the printer main body  2  will be described. As illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the printer main body  2  includes a first feeder  20 , a pair of conveyance rollers  35 , a recorder  40 , a tank unit  18 , a pair of paper discharge rollers  36 , a first auto sheet feed (ASF) motor  20 M (refer to  FIG. 4 ), a line feed (LF) motor  35 M (refer to  FIG. 4 ), and a controller  5  (refer to  FIG. 4 ). 
     The first feeder  20  feeds paper P 1  placed on a first feed tray  15  to a conveyance path  25 . The pair of conveyance rollers  35  conveys the paper P 1  fed by the first feeder  20  and a medium P 2  fed from a feed device  3  via a branch path  25   a  to the recorder  40 . The recorder  40  has, for example, an inkjet recording type configuration, and records an image on the paper P 1  and the medium P 2  conveyed by the pair of conveyance rollers  35 . The pair of paper discharge rollers  36  discharges the paper P 1  and the medium P 2  recorded by the recorder  40  to the paper discharge tray  16 . 
     Tank Unit  18   
     As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the tank unit  18  includes four tanks  18   a  to  18   d.  The four tanks  18   a  to  18   d  are provided on a downstream side of the printer main body  2  in a conveyance direction and in a part on a right side in  FIG. 3 , and are disposed side by side in the left and right direction (a scanning direction) A 3 . Black, yellow, cyan, and magenta inks are stored in the four tanks  18   a  to  18   d  in order from the one located on the right side. That is, the black ink is stored in the rightmost tank  18   a,  and the color inks are stored in the other three tanks  18   b  to  18   d.  Next, the inks of the four colors stored in the four tanks  18   a  to  18   d  are supplied to an inkjet head  41  (described later) via four tubes and the like (not illustrated). 
     First Feeder  20   
     As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the first feeder  20  is provided on an upper side of the first feed tray  15 . The first feeder  20  includes a first paper feed roller  21  and a first arm  22 . The first paper feed roller  21  is pivotally supported by a tip of the first arm  22 . The first arm  22  is pivotably supported by a support shaft  22   a,  is urged by a spring or the like, and is pivoted downward so that the first paper feed roller  21  contacts the first feed tray  15 . The first arm  22  is configured to be retractable upward when the first feed tray  15  is attached and detached. The first paper feed roller  21  is rotated by power of the first ASF motor  20 M transmitted via a transmission mechanism (not illustrated), and the paper P 1  stacked in the first feed tray  15  is fed to the conveyance path  25 . 
     First Feed Tray  15   
     As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the first feed tray  15  includes an inclined wall portion  15   a.  The inclined wall portion  15   a  guides the paper P 1  to the conveyance path  25  when the paper P 1  placed on the first feed tray  15  is fed by the first paper feed roller  21 . 
     Conveyance Path  25   
     The conveyance path  25  is formed in the housing  11 , and as illustrated in  FIG. 2 , is bent upward from a rear end portion of the first feed tray  15  and bent toward a front side of the printer  1 . The paper P 1  fed from the first feed tray  15  is guided by the conveyance path  25  so that the paper P 1  makes a U-turn from the bottom to the top and reaches the recorder  40 . 
     Branch Path  25   a    
     The branch path  25   a  is connected to the conveyance path  25 . The branch path  25   a  is also formed in the housing  11 , extends in the up and down direction A 1  behind the first feed tray  15 , and is connected to the conveyance path  25 . The medium P 2  fed from the feed device  3  is guided from the branch path  25   a  to the conveyance path  25 , and is guided from the bottom to the front by the conveyance path  25  to reach the recorder  40 . 
     Pair of Conveyance Rollers  35  and Pair of Paper Discharge Rollers  36   
     The pair of conveyance rollers  35  includes a conveyance roller  35   a  disposed on a lower side and a pinch roller  35   b  disposed on an upper side. The conveyance roller  35   a  is rotated by power of the LF motor  35 M transmitted via a transmission mechanism (not illustrated). The pinch roller  35   b  rotates with the rotation of the conveyance roller  35   a.  The conveyance roller  35   a  and the pinch roller  35   b  cooperate with each other so that the paper P 1  and the medium P 2  are interposed therebetween in the up and down direction A 1 , and convey the paper P 1  and the medium P 2  to the recorder  40 . 
     The pair of paper discharge rollers  36  includes a paper discharge roller  36   a  disposed on a lower side and a spur roller  36   b  disposed on an upper side. The paper discharge roller  36   a  is rotated by the power of the LF motor  35 M transmitted via the transmission mechanism (not illustrated). The spur roller  36   b  rotates with the rotation of the paper discharge roller  36   a.  The paper discharge roller  36   a  and the spur roller  36   b  cooperate with each other so that the paper P 1  and the medium P 2  are interposed therebetween in the up and down direction A 1 , and convey the paper P 1  and the medium P 2  to the paper discharge tray  16 . 
     Recorder  40   
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the recorder  40  includes an inkjet head (one example of a recording head)  41 , a head moving mechanism  50 , and a platen  6 . The head moving mechanism  50  includes a carriage  51 . The carriage  51  reciprocates in the scanning direction (which is the left and right direction A 3  and a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the paper P 1  and the medium P 2 ). The inkjet head  41  is supported by the carriage  51 . 
     A lower surface of the inkjet head  41  is an ejection surface  41   b  formed with a plurality of ejection ports  41   a  for ejecting ink to the paper P 1  and the medium P 2  conveyed below the inkjet head  41 . As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the plurality of ejection ports  41   a  are arranged so that the ejection port rows arranged along the conveyance direction are formed in four rows in the scanning direction. In the illustrative embodiment, black ink is ejected from the ejection ports  41   a  belonging to the rightmost ejection port row in  FIG. 3 , and color inks (magenta, cyan, and yellow) are ejected from the ejection ports  41   a  belonging to the ejection port rows of the other three rows. The inkjet head  41  ejects ink of each color as a minute ink droplet from the ejection ports  41   a  under the control of the controller  5  based on a recording command. 
     A tube joint  44  is provided to be integrated with the inkjet head  41 . The inkjet head  41  and the tank unit  18  are connected to each other via four flexible tubes (not illustrated) connected to the tube joint  44 , and the ink of each color is supplied to the inkjet head  41 . 
     The platen  6  that supports the paper P 1  and the medium P 2  conveyed by the pair of conveyance rollers  35  is disposed below the inkjet head  41 . The platen  6  is disposed in a part of reciprocating movement ranges of the carriage  51 , through which the paper P 1  and the medium P 2  pass. Since a width of the platen  6  is sufficiently larger than a maximum width of the paper P 1  and medium P 2  that can be conveyed, the paper P 1  and the medium P 2  conveyed through the conveyance path  25  always pass on the platen  6 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the head moving mechanism  50  includes a pair of guide rails  52  and a belt transmission mechanism  53 . The pair of guide rails  52  are disposed to be separated from each other in the front and rear direction A 2  and extend parallel to each other in the left and right direction A 3 . The carriage  51  is disposed so as to straddle the pair of guide rails  52 , and is reciprocated on the pair of guide rails  52  along the left and right direction A 3 . 
     The belt transmission mechanism  53  includes two pulleys  54  and  55 , an endless timing belt  56  partially fixed to the carriage  51 , and a carriage motor  50 M. The two pulleys  54  and  55  are disposed to be separated from each other in the left and right direction A 3 , and the timing belt  56  is stretched therebetween. The pulley  54  is connected to a drive shaft of the carriage motor  50 M, and when the carriage motor  50 M is driven, the timing belt  56  travels and the inkjet head  41  moves in the scanning direction together with the carriage  51 . 
     The inkjet head  41  ejects the ink of each color from the ejection ports  41   a  under the control of the controller  5  based on the recording command. That is, as the carriage  51  reciprocates in the left and right direction A 3 , the inkjet head  41  is scanned with respect to the paper P 1  and the medium P 2 , and an image is recorded on the paper P 1  and the medium P 2  conveyed on the platen  6  by ejecting the ink of each color from the ejection ports  41   a.  A linear encoder (not illustrated) having a large number of translucent portions (slits) arranged with a space therebetween in the scanning direction is provided in the printer  1 . On the other hand, the carriage  51  is provided with a transmission type position detection sensor (not illustrated) including a light emitting element and a light receiving element. The printer  1  can recognize a current position of the carriage  51  in the scanning direction from a count value of the translucent portion of the linear encoder detected by the position detection sensor while the carriage  51  is moving, and rotation drive of the carriage motor  50 M is controlled. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the controller  5  includes a central processing unit (CPU), a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and the like, and these devices cooperate with each other to control operations of the first ASF motor  20 M, a second ASF motor  80 M (described later), the LF motor  35 M, the carriage motor  50 M, the inkjet head  41 , a motor for cutting  90 M (described later), and the like. For example, the controller  5  controls the inkjet head  41 , the first ASF motor  20 M, the LF motor  35 M, the carriage motor  50 M, and the like based on the recording command transmitted from the PC, and records an image and the like on the paper P 1 . The controller  5  also controls the inkjet head  41 , the second ASF motor  80 M, the LF motor  35 M, the carriage motor  50 M, the motor for cutting  90 M, and the like based on the recording command transmitted from the PC, and records an image and the like on the medium P 2 . 
     While the controller  5  of the illustrative embodiment includes one CPU and one ASIC, the controller  5  may include only one ASIC, and the one ASIC may collectively perform required processes. Alternatively, the controller  5  may include a plurality of ASICs, and the plurality of ASICs may share and perform the required processes. 
     Feed Device  3   
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 1, 2, 5, and 6 , the feed device  3  includes a housing  60 , a second feed tray  61 , a pull-back mechanism  70 , a second feeder  80 , and a cutting mechanism  90 . The feed device  3  can rotatably accommodate a roll P 2   a  which will be described later. As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the housing  60  has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and is configured to be installable to and removable from the lower portion of the printer main body  2 . An opening  60   b  is formed approximately at the center of a front wall  60   a  of the housing  60 . The housing  60  supports the second feed tray  61 . The second feed tray  61  is configured to be insertable into and removable from the opening  60   b  in the front and rear direction A 2  (in an orthogonal direction), that is, to be installable to and removable from the housing  60 . 
     Second Feed Tray  61   
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the second feed tray  61  includes a tray main body  61   a,  a support base  61   b  for supporting the roll P 2   a  of the medium P 2 , and a conveyance guide  61   d.  The support base  61   b  and the conveyance guide  61   d  are configured to be installable to and removable from the tray main body  61   a.  As illustrated in  FIG. 6 , the tray main body  61   a  has a rectangular planar shape. The tray main body  61   a  has a planar size which can accommodate, for example, cut sheet paper having an A4 size in a state where the support base  61   b  and the conveyance guide  61   d  are removed. As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the tray main body  61   a  includes an inclined wall portion  61   a   1  at a rear end portion thereof. The inclined wall portion  61   a   1  guides the medium P 2  fed by the second paper feed roller  81  toward the branch path  25   a.  A presser  61   c  for pressing the roll P 2   a  toward the support base  61   b  is provided at a front end portion of the tray main body  61   a.  As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the presser  61   c  includes a plate-shaped member  61   c   1  bent in a dogleg shape. The plate-shaped member  61   c   1  is supported by the tray main body  61   a  so that a front end of the plate-shaped member  61   c   1  is pivotable around a rotation axis  61   c   2 . Accordingly, the presser  61   c  presses the roll P 2   a  toward the support base  61   b  by allowing the plate-shaped member  61   c   1  to pivot by its own weight with the rotation axis  61   c   2  as the rotation center. Therefore, even though a weight of the roll P 2   a  becomes smaller as the medium P 2  decreases, a slip hardly occurs between a roller  71  which will be described later and the roll P 2   a . Therefore, the roll P 2   a  can be rotated by the roller  71 . The plate-shaped member  61   c   1  of the presser  61   c  may press the roll P 2   a  by an urging force of an urging member such as a spring. The medium P 2  is paper which is the same as the paper P 1 , and may be cloth and the like. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the conveyance guide  61   d  includes a plate-shaped guide member  61   d   1  and a roller  61   d   2 . As illustrated in  FIG. 6 , the guide member  61   d   1  has an approximately rectangular planar shape extending in the left and right direction A 3 , a notch portion  61   d   3  is formed in a rear center thereof, and a notch portion  61   d   4  is formed in a front side thereof. The notch portion  61   d   3  is formed so that tip portions of the second paper feed roller  81  and a second arm  82 , which will be described later, can enter and exit by pivoting of the second arm  82 . The roller  61   d   2  extending in the left and right direction A 3  is disposed in the notch portion  61   d   4 . Opposite end portions of the roller  61   d   2  in the left and right direction A 3  are rotatably supported by the guide member  61   d   1 . A roller  61   a   4  extending in the left and right direction A 3  is rotatably supported by the tray main body  61   a.  The roller  61   a   4  is disposed at a position opposite to that of the roller  61   d   2  in the up and down direction A 1 . Accordingly, the medium P 2  unrolled from the roll P 2   a  can be interposed between the two rollers  61   a   4  and  61   d   2 . Therefore, the roll P 2   a  is set on the support base  61   b,  and the roller  61   d   2  is manually rotated counterclockwise in  FIG. 5  in a state where the medium P 2  unrolled from the roll P 2   a  is interposed between the two rollers  61   a   4  and  61   d   2 , such that a tip of the medium P 2  is fed out up to a desired position and setting is easily performed. Here, the desired position is, for example, a position where the second feed tray  61  can contact the second paper feed roller  81  and a position in the vicinity of the rear end in  FIG. 5  of the tray main body  61   a  in a fully installed state where the second feed tray  61  is fully installed to the housing  60 . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the support base  61   b  is disposed between the center and the front end of the tray main body  61   a  in the front and rear direction A 2 . The support base  61   b  includes a base body  62  having an approximately rectangular parallelepiped shape extending in the left and right direction A 3 , and a plurality of rollers  63   a  to  63   c.  The base body  62  is formed with two inclined surfaces  62   a  and  62   b  provided on an upper surface of the base body  62  in a state where the center of the base body  62  in the front and rear direction A 2  is interposed between the two inclined surfaces  62   a  and  62   b.  The inclined surface  62   a  of the two inclined surfaces  62   a  and  62   b  is disposed in a front side and the inclined surface  62   b  thereof is disposed in a rear side. The two inclined surfaces  62   a  and  62   b  are configured to incline downward as the two inclined surfaces  62   a  and  62   b  are close to each other. Eight rollers  63   a  are arranged along the left and right direction A 3  at a rear end portion of the inclined surface  62   a . Eight rollers  63   b  are arranged along the left and right direction A 3  at a front end portion of the inclined surface  62   b.  Eight rollers  63   c  are arranged along the left and right direction A 3  at a rear end portion of the inclined surface  62   b.  The plurality of rollers  63   a  and  63   b  contact a lower part of an outer peripheral surface P 2   a   1  of the roll P 2   a  of the medium P 2 , and support the roll P 2   a  from below. The plurality of rollers  63   c  guide the medium P 2  unrolled from the roll P 2   a.  The plurality of rollers  63   a  to  63   c  are supported by the base body  62  so as to be rotatable around a rotation axis parallel to the left and right direction A 3 . Therefore, the roll P 2   a  of the medium P 2  can also rotate around a rotation axis C parallel to the left and right direction A 3 . A groove  62   c  opened upward is formed in the base body  62 . As illustrated in  FIG. 6 , the groove  62   c  is located at the center of the base body  62  in the front and rear direction A 2  and is disposed between the two inclined surfaces  62   a  and  62   b.  A penetrating portion  62   d  is formed in the center of the base body  62  in the left and right direction A 3 . 
     Pull-back Mechanism (Rotation Mechanism)  70   
     The pull-back mechanism  70  pulls back the medium P 2  unrolled from the roll P 2   a  in conjunction with an operation of removing the second feed tray  61  from the housing  60  by moving the second feed tray  61  in a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis C of the roll P 2   a . The pull-back mechanism  70  includes a rotation mechanism that rotates so as to pull back the medium P 2  unrolled from the roll P 2   a  in conjunction with the operation of removing the second feed tray  61  from the housing  60 . In the illustrative embodiment, since the rotation mechanism itself is the pull-back mechanism  70 , the rotation mechanism will be also described with the same reference sign as that of the pull-back mechanism  70 . The rotation mechanism  70  includes a roller  71 , a power transmission device  72 , a pinion gear  73 , and a rack gear  74  that can be engaged with the pinion gear  73 . As illustrated in  FIG. 6 , the roller  71 , the power transmission device  72 , and the pinion gear  73  are disposed side by side in the left and right direction A 3  at positions opposite to that of the penetrating portion  62   d.  The roller  71 , the power transmission device  72 , and the pinion gear  73  are rotatably and movably supported by a bottom portion  61   a   2  of the tray main body  61   a  in the up and down direction A 1 . As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the roller  71  is formed to have a diameter larger than that of the pinion gear  73 , and formed to have a size that allows the roller  71  to move up and down in the penetrating portion  62   d.  The roller  71  is supported to be movable between a separation position (refer to  FIG. 5 ) at which the roller  71  is separated downward from the outer peripheral surface P 2   a   1  of the roll P 2   a  and a contact position (refer to  FIG. 8 ) at which the roller  71  contacts the outer peripheral surface P 2   a   1  of the roll P 2   a.    
     The power transmission device  72  is a known one-way clutch, and transmits a rotational force in one direction of the pinion gear  73  to the roller  71 . In  FIG. 5 , the power transmission device  72  in the illustrative embodiment is configured to transmit the rotational force when the pinion gear  73  rotates counterclockwise to the roller  71 , and configured not to transmit the rotational force when the pinion gear  73  rotates clockwise to the roller  71 . The pinion gear  73  is configured to be rotatable by being engaged with the rack gear  74 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the rack gear  74  is disposed on a bottom portion  60   c  of the housing  60 , and disposed to be closer to the front than the center of the bottom portion  60   c  in the front and rear direction A 2 . The rack gear  74  is configured to extend along the front and rear direction A 2 , and to be able to be engaged with the pinion gear  73 . That is, as illustrated in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the rack gear  74  is disposed in front of the pinion gear  73  and is not engaged with the pinion gear  73  in the fully installed state where the second feed tray  61  is fully installed to the housing  60 . On the other hand, the rack gear  74  is disposed at a position where the rack gear  74  can be engaged with a lower part of the pinion gear  73  in a half-installed state. The half-installed state refers to a state of the second feed tray  61  until the second feed tray  61  moves forward from the fully installed state and the second feed tray  61  is removed from the housing  60 . The rack gear  74  is engaged with the pinion gear  73  when the second feed tray  61  moves forward from the fully installed state, thereby rotating the pinion gear  73  counterclockwise in  FIG. 5 . The rack gear  74  is also engaged with the pinion gear  73  when the second feed tray  61  in the half-installed state on the housing  60  moves rearward, thereby rotating the pinion gear  73  clockwise in  FIG. 5 . The rack gear  74  is disposed at a position at which the roller  71  can be located from the separation position to the contact position when the rack gear  74  is engaged with the pinion gear  73 . As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , a groove  61   a   3  extending along the front and rear direction A 2  is formed on a lower surface of the tray main body  61   a  such that the second feed tray  61  does not contact the rack gear  74  when the second feed tray  61  is installed to the housing  60 . 
     Second Feeder  80   
     As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the second feeder  80  is provided on an upper side of the second feed tray  61 . The second feeder  80  includes the second paper feed roller  81  and the second arm  82 . The second paper feed roller  81  is pivotally supported at a tip of the second arm  82 . The second arm  82  is pivotably supported by a support shaft  82   a,  is urged by a spring or the like, and is pivoted downward so that the second paper feed roller  81  contacts the second feed tray  61 . The second arm  82  is configured to be retractable to an upper retracted position (refer to  FIG. 7 ) when the second feed tray  61  is attached to and detached from the housing  60 . The second paper feed roller  81  is rotated by the power of the second ASF motor  80 M transmitted via a transmission mechanism (not illustrated), and the medium P 2  unrolled from the roll P 2   a  accommodated in the second feed tray  61  is fed to the branch path  25   a  via the cutting mechanism  90 . 
     Cutting Mechanism  90   
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the cutting mechanism  90  is installed in an upper rear portion of the housing  60 . The cutting mechanism  90  is a known cutting mechanism that extends along the left and right direction A 3  and can cut the medium P 2  along the left and right direction A 3 . The cutting mechanism  90  includes a guide portion  92  that defines a conveyance path  91  through which the medium P 2  fed by the second paper feed roller  81  passes, a cutter (not illustrated), and the motor for cutting  90 M that drives the cutter (refer to  FIG. 4 ). The cutter is configured to be movable along the left and right direction A 3  and cuts the medium P 2  in the conveyance path  91 . The cutting mechanism  90  cuts the medium P 2  fed by the second feeder  80  at a desired position under the control of the controller  5 . Therefore, a tip of the cut medium P 2  is disposed at a position above a tip of the second feed tray  61  (a rear end in  FIG. 5 ). In the illustrative embodiment, the tip of the cut medium P 2  is located in the conveyance path  91 . In the illustrative embodiment, the cutting mechanism  90  is provided in the housing  60 , and may be provided in the printer main body  2 . 
     Operation of Rotation Mechanism  70   
     Next, an operation of the rotation mechanism  70  when the second feed tray  61  of the feed device  3  is attached to and detached from the housing  60  will be described below with reference to  FIGS. 5 and 7 to 9 . As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the printer  1  is usually used when the second feed tray  61  is in the fully installed state on the housing  60 . Since the medium P 2  is cut by the cutting mechanism  90  when the medium P 2  is used for image recording, the tip thereof exists in the conveyance path  91 . 
     When a user pulls out the second feed tray  61  forward to remove the second feed tray  61  from the housing  60  in order to look inside the second feed tray  61 , the roll P 2   a  is rotated by the rotation mechanism  70 , the medium P 2  is rerolled, and the tip of the medium P 2  moves. At this time, the second arm  82  moves to the retracted position. 
     More specifically, when the second feed tray  61  moves from the fully installed state illustrated in  FIG. 5  to the position illustrated in  FIG. 7  in the half-installed state, the pinion gear  73  and the rack gear  74  start to be engaged with each other. Next, when the second feed tray  61  further moves forward from this state, as illustrated in  FIG. 8 , the pinion gear  73  moves upward while rotating counterclockwise in  FIG. 8  by the engagement between the pinion gear  73  and the rack gear  74 . That is, the roller  71  also moves from the separation position illustrated in  FIG. 5  to the contact position illustrated in  FIG. 8  together with the pinion gear  73 , and rotates counterclockwise in  FIG. 8 . Therefore, the roller  71  contacts the outer peripheral surface P 2   a   1  of the roll P 2   a,  and the roll P 2   a  rotates clockwise in  FIG. 8  around the rotation axis C by the roller  71 . 
     Next, when the second feed tray  61  further moves forward, the roller  71  rotates clockwise in  FIG. 8  while the pinion gear  73  and the rack gear  74  are engaged with each other. After that, as illustrated in  FIG. 9 , the pinion gear  73  moves forward of the rack gear  74 , and when the engagement therebetween ends, the rotation of the roller  71  also stops. At this time, the roller  71  moves from the contact position illustrated in  FIG. 8  to the separation position illustrated in  FIG. 9  together with the pinion gear  73 . The roll P 2   a  is rotated by the roller  71  in conjunction with the operation of removing the second feed tray  61  from the housing  60 , while the pinion gear  73  is engaged with the rack gear  74 . As illustrated in  FIG. 9 , the medium P 2  is rerolled by the rotation of the roll P 2   a,  such that the tip of the medium P 2  is disposed between a rear end of the conveyance guide  61   d  and the tray main body  61   a.  That is, the rotation mechanism  70  is configured to rotate the roll P 2   a  by pulling out the second feed tray  61  from the fully installed state up to a position where the pinion gear  73  is located in front of the rack gear  74  (a position where the engagement between the pinion gear  73  and the rack gear  74  ends), so that the tip of the medium P 2  moves from the conveyance path  91  to the front of a contact point between the second paper feed roller  81  and the bottom portion  61   a   2  of the tray main body  61   a  illustrated in  FIG. 5 . When the second feed tray  61  is pulled out from the fully installed state up to the position where the pinion gear  73  is located in front of the rack gear  74 , the rotation mechanism  70  may be able to rotate the roll P 2   a  up to a position where the tip of the medium P 2  is located below an upper end of the inclined wall portion  61   a   1  of the tray main body  61   a.    
     After that, the second feed tray  61  is removed from the housing  60 , and then the user moves the second feed tray  61  rearward and reinstalls the second feed tray  61  on the housing  60 . At this time, while the pinion gear  73  and the rack gear  74  are engaged with each other and the pinion gear  73  rotates clockwise in  FIG. 5 , the power transmission device  72  does not transmit the rotational force of the pinion gear  73  to the roller  71  such that the roller  71  does not rotate the roll P 2   a.  Therefore, the tip of the medium P 2  does not move when the second feed tray  61  is installed to the housing  60 , and is in a state of being located in the tray main body  61   a,  that is, below the upper end of the inclined wall portion  61   a   1 . Even though the second feed tray  61  is pulled out from the housing  60  and then reinstalled to the housing  60  in this manner, the tip of the medium P 2  is disposed in the tray main body  61   a,  such that the tip of the medium P 2  does not contact components of the second feeder  80  and the housing  60  when the second feed tray  61  is installed thereon. Therefore, the second feed tray  61  can be installed to the housing  60  without bending the tip of the medium P 2 . 
     As described above, according to the feed device  3  of the illustrative embodiment, when the second feed tray  61  is removed from the housing  60 , a part of the medium P 2  unrolled from the roll P 2   a  is rerolled to the roll P 2   a,  and the tip of the medium P 2  is pulled back from the conveyance path  91  into the second feed tray  61 . Therefore, when the second feed tray  61  is reinstalled to the housing  60 , the tip of the medium P 2  hardly contacts the housing  60  and the like, such that the tip thereof is hardly bent. Therefore, even though the second feed tray  61  is attached to and detached from the housing  60 , the tip of the medium P 2  is hardly bent, thereby making it possible to prevent occurrence of paper feed failure such as jamming of the medium P 2  when the medium P 2  is fed. 
     Since the rotation mechanism  70  includes the roller  71 , the pinion gear  73 , and the rack gear  74 , with a relatively simple configuration, the roller  71  can be rotated to rotate the roll P 2   a  when the second feed tray  61  is removed from the housing  60 . 
     Since the second feed tray  61  includes the tray main body  61   a  and the support base  61   b,  and the roller  71  is supported by the tray main body  61   a,  the roll P 2   a  of the medium P 2  placed on the support base  61   b  can be rotated by the roller  71  when the second feed tray  61  is removed from the housing  60 . 
     Since the tray main body  61   a  is configured to be able to accommodate the cut sheet paper in a state where the support base  61   b  is removed, it is also possible to feed the cut sheet paper. 
     Since the pinion gear  73  has a diameter smaller than that of the roller  71 , the pinion gear  73  can rotate relatively more than the roller  71  even though a moving distance when the second feed tray  61  is removed from the housing  60  is short. Therefore, the roller  71  can also rotate by the desired number of times, such that the roll P 2   a  can rotate by the required number of times. 
     The roller  71  is disposed at the separation position when the rack gear  74  and the pinion gear  73  are not engaged with each other, and is located at the contact position from the separation position when the rack gear  74  and the pinion gear  73  are engaged with each other. Accordingly, in the fully installed state of the second feed tray  61 , since the roller  71  is disposed at the separation position, a conveyance load caused by the roller  71  is not generated when the medium P 2  is fed. 
     The rotation mechanism  70  includes the power transmission device  72 , thereby making it possible to prevent the tip of the medium P 2  from moving and contacting the housing  60  and the like when the second feed tray  61  is installed to the housing  60 . 
     The rotation mechanism  70  rotates the roll P 2   a  so that the tip of the medium P 2  when the second feed tray  61  is removed from the housing  60  is disposed below the upper end of the tip portion of the second feed tray  61  (the rear end portion in  FIG. 5 ) when the second feed tray  61  is installed to the housing  60 . Accordingly, when the second feed tray  61  is reinstalled to the housing  60 , the tip of the medium P 2  becomes more difficult to contact the housing  60  and the like. 
     While the illustrative embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the illustrative embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the claims. For example, the feed device  3  is an additional device installable to and removable from the printer main body  2 , but may be integrated with the printer main body  2  and fixed thereto. The housing  11  and the first feed tray  15  of the printer main body  2  may be provided with the rotation mechanism similar to the rotation mechanism  70 , and the feed device may be provided in the printer main body  2  itself. In this case as well, the same effect as that of the illustrative embodiments can be obtained. 
     While the rotation mechanism  70  includes the roller  71 , the pinion gear  73 , and the rack gear  74 , the rotation mechanism  70  may have any configuration and is not particularly limited as long as it is possible to rotate the roll P 2   a  so that the medium P 2  is rerolled to the roll P 2   a  when the second feed tray  61  moves forward from the state of being installed to the housing  60  and is removed therefrom. For example, when the second feed tray  61  moves forward, the outer peripheral surface of the roller that contacts below the outer peripheral surface P 2   a   1  of the roll P 2   a  contacts the housing  60 , such that the roller may rotate to rotate the roll P 2   a.  In this manner, it may not be required to include the pinion gear  73  and the rack gear  74 . 
     The second feed tray  61  may not include the support base  61   b.  In this case, a shaft portion may be provided at the center of the roll P 2   a  of the medium P 2 , and the shaft portion may be rotatably supported by the tray main body  61   a.  The support base  61   b  may be fixed to the tray main body  61   a.  The presser  61   c  may not be provided in the tray main body  61   a.  The presser  61   c  may be provided in the housing  60 , and can obtain the same effect as described above. 
     The pinion gear  73  may have a diameter equal to or larger than that of the roller  71 . In this case, the pinion gear  73  is desirably disposed at a position where the pinion gear  73  does not contact the roll P 2   a.  The roller  71  may be located only at the contact position. In this case, it is desirable that the pinion gear  73  and the rack gear  74  are not engaged with each other in a state where the second feed tray  61  is fully installed to the housing  60 . By doing so, even though the roll P 2   a  and the roller  71  are in contact with each other, the roller  71  can be rotated by the rotation of the roll P 2   a,  such that a conveyance load caused by the roller  71  can be prevented when the medium P 2  is fed. 
     The rotation mechanism  70  may not include the power transmission device  72 . In this case, the medium P 2  is rolled up when the second feed tray  61  is removed from the housing  60  until the tip of the medium P 2  contacts the housing  60  and the like. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the tip of the medium P 2  from contacting the housing  60  and the like when the second feed tray  61  is installed to the housing  60 . 
     As long as the rotation mechanism  70  can rotate the roll P 2   a  to roll back the medium P 2  when the second feed tray  61  is removed from the housing  60 , the tip of the medium P 2  may be disposed slightly above the upper end of the tip portion of the second feed tray  61  when the second feed tray  61  is installed to the housing  60 . In this case as well, when the second feed tray  61  is reinstalled to the housing  60 , the tip of the medium P 2  hardly contacts the housing  60  and the like, such that the tip thereof is hardly bent. 
     Hereinabove, the illustrative embodiments describe an example in which the present invention is applied to a printer that performs recording on the paper P, and are not limited thereto. The present invention can be applied to the entire feed device that rotatably accommodates the roll P 2   a  of the medium P 2 .