Patent Publication Number: US-2021178780-A1

Title: Recording apparatus

Description:
The present application is based on, and claims priority from JP Application Serial Number 2019-225202, filed Dec. 13, 2019, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates to a recording apparatus. 
     2. Related Art 
     In the related art, a recording apparatus is known, which includes a medium support unit configured to open and close a supply port through which a medium is supplied toward an inside of a housing, as described in JP 2008-23838 A. 
     Unfortunately, in the recording apparatus described above, when the medium support unit moves from an open state where the medium support unit opens the supply port to a close state where the medium support unit closes the supply port, the medium support unit moves, accelerated by its own weight, to collide with the housing. The sound generated at the time of the collision is comparatively loud, which made it difficult to achieve the satisfaction of a user. 
     SUMMARY 
     A recording apparatus includes a housing having a feeding port through which a medium is introduced into the housing, a feeding tray for supporting the medium fed through the feeding port, and a rotary damper configured to generate torque, in which the feeding tray includes a rotation shaft about which the feeding tray is rotatable, relative to the housing, between a close position at which the feeding tray holds the feeding port in a close state and an open position at which the feeding tray holds the feeding port in an open state, and the rotation shaft and the rotary damper are interlocked with each other. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a recording apparatus. 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a recording apparatus. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a rotation mechanism of a feeding tray. 
         FIG. 4  is a plan view illustrating a configuration of a rotation mechanism of a feeding tray. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
     A recording apparatus  30  illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2  serves as an inkjet printer of a serial printing type. The recording apparatus  30  includes a housing  31  of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. An upper face  31 A in a +Z direction of the housing  31  of the recording apparatus  30  is provided with a feeding tray  32  in which a user is allowed to set a medium M such as paper on which recording is to be performed. The medium M set in the feeding tray  32  is fed, through a feeding port  33 , into the housing  31  of the recording apparatus  30 . Note that  FIG. 1  illustrates a state of an open position at which the feeding tray  32  holds the feeding port  33  in an open state where the feeding tray  32  opens the feeding port  33 , and  FIG. 2  illustrates a state of a close position at which the feeding tray  32  holds the feeding port  33  in a close state where the feeding tray  32  closes the feeding port. 
     The front in a +Y direction of the housing  31  of the recording apparatus  30  is provided with an ejection port  35  through which the medium M, on which recording has been performed by the recording apparatus  30 , is ejected, and an ejection tray  36  in which the medium M on which the recording has been performed, ejected through the ejection port  35 , is loaded. Note that a lower front face of the housing  31  of the recording apparatus  30  is provided with a cover  37  of an openable type, where the ejection tray  36  stored inside the housing  31  of the recording apparatus  30  is covered by the cover  37  that is closed. 
     In addition, the upper face  31 A of the housing  31  of the recording apparatus  30  is provided with an operation panel  38 . The operation panel  38  includes an operation unit  39  such as a power button, and a display unit  40  composed of a liquid crystal display and the like. The display unit  40  is configured to display a menu, various types of messages, and the like. The recording apparatus  30 , which is communicably coupled to a host device (not illustrated), is configured to cause, when receiving recording data from the host device, a feeding mechanism (not illustrated) to feed the medium M set in the feeding tray  32 , and to perform recording operation for recording an image based on the recording data on the medium M having been fed. 
     There is provided inside the housing  31  of the recording apparatus  30 , a carriage  42  equipped with a recording head  41  configured to discharge a liquid such as ink or the like onto the medium M in a manner reciprocally movable along an X axis (a scanning direction) orthogonal to a transport direction in which the medium M is transported. The recording apparatus  30  is configured to alternately perform, in the course that the carriage  42  moves along the scanning direction, a recording operation that the recording head  41  discharges liquid droplets to perform recording for one pass, and a transport operation of transporting the medium M to the next recording position, to thus record an image or a document on the medium M. 
     At a front portion inside the housing  31  of the recording apparatus  30  and at one or both of portions on both sides sandwiching the ejection tray  36 , there are provided mounting portions (both of them not illustrated in the figure) to which liquid containers such as an ink cartridge for storing a liquid such as ink used for the recording are detachably mounted. Note that, in this example, the liquid container is of an off-carriage type disposed at a position separate from the carriage  42 , and the liquid container may also be of an on-carriage type that is detachably mounted on the carriage  42 . Also, the recording apparatus  30  may include, without being limited to be of a serial recording type, the recording head  41  may be an elongated line head disposed across the entirety of the maximum width of the medium M, and of a line recording type configured to concurrently discharge liquid droplets onto the entirety of the width of the medium M. 
     The feeding tray  32  has a medium support structure of a three-stage structure that is constituted by a storage member  50 , a first member  100 , and a second member  150 . The feeding tray  32  has a storage state where the storage member  50  stores the first member  100  and the second member  150 , and a deployed state where the first member  100  and the second member  150  are drawn out from the storage member  50  by an operation of the user to allow the storage member  50 , the first member  100 , and the second member  150  to support the medium M. As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the feeding tray  32  is set in the deployed state at the open position, and as illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the feeding tray  32  is set in the storage state at the close position. 
     The feeding tray  32  includes a rotation shaft  300  about which the feeding tray  32  is rotatably coupled to the housing  31  of the recording apparatus  30  between the open position and the close position. In addition, a rotation mechanism that the feeding tray  32  is configured to rotate relative to the housing  31  is provided with a gear damper  400  (see  FIG. 3 ) as a rotary damper. The rotation mechanism including the gear damper  400  is a mechanism for reducing a movement speed of the feeding tray  32  when moving from the open position to the close position. Note that the rotation mechanism of the feeding tray  32  will be described later. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the feeding tray  32  is disposed at the close position, at the time when being in the storage state, to hold the feeding port  33  in the close state, and becomes substantially flush with the upper face  31 A of the housing  31  of the recording apparatus  30 . The feeding tray  32 , when being located at the close position, is provided at the housing  31 , and is held in a state of being in contact with a support plate  34  (see  FIG. 1 ) located in a −Z direction of the upper face  31 A. As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the feeding tray  32  is disposed at the open position to hold the feeding port  33  in the open state. 
     The ejection tray  36  is a portion at which the medium M on which the recording has been performed is disposed. The ejection tray  36  has a medium support structure of a two-stage structure that is constituted by an ejection-side first member  200  and an ejection-side second member  250 . 
     The ejection tray  36  has a storage state where the ejection-side first member  200  stores the ejection-side second member  250 , and a deployed state where the ejection-side second member  250  is drawn out from the ejection-side first member  200  to allow the ejection-side first member  200  and the ejection-side second member  250  to support the medium M. The ejection tray  36  is stored in the housing  31  of the recording apparatus  30  in the storage state. The ejection-side first member  200  is coupled, in a manner being drawable frontward, to the housing  31  of the recording apparatus  30 . The ejection tray  36 , when the ejection-side first member  200  and the ejection-side second member  250  are drawn out from the housing  31  of the recording apparatus  30  at the time when the ejection port  35  formed at the housing  31  of the recording apparatus  30  is in the open state, transitions to the deployed state. 
     Next, the rotation mechanism of the feeding tray  32  will be described. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the storage member  50  of the feeding tray  32  is provided with the rotation shaft  300  extending in an X axis direction. The rotation shaft  300  is disposed corresponding to a side of an end portion in a −Y direction of the housing  31  of the storage member  50 . The rotation shaft  300  is fixed to the storage member  50 . That is, the feeding tray  32  including the storage member  50  is also configured to rotationally move in conjunction with the rotational movement of the rotation shaft  300 . 
     One end portion of the rotation shaft  300  is rotatably supported by a bearing portion (not illustrated) provided at the housing  31 . The other end portion of the rotation shaft  300  is provided with a first gear  310 . The first gear  310  is fixed to the rotation shaft  300 . 
     In addition, the gear damper  400  is installed at an internal frame  320  of the housing  31 . The gear damper  400  is disposed in the +Y direction of the first gear  310 . The gear damper  400  includes a main body  401  configured to generate torque, a shaft portion  402  coupled to the main body  401 , and a gear portion  403  coupled to the shaft portion  402 . The gear damper  400  is configured to generate constant torque in a rotation direction of the gear portion  403  rotating about the shaft portion  402 . The torque generated by the gear damper  400  is a damping force. Note that a mechanism for generating torque at the gear damper  400  is not particularly limited, and may be of a hydraulic type or a spring type, for example. 
     The rotation mechanism of the feeding tray  32  has a configuration in which the rotation shaft  300  installed at the feeding tray  32  interlocks, via the first gear  310 , with the gear damper  400  installed at the housing  31 . This allows the torque generated from the gear damper  400  to be transmitted to the first gear  310 , thus reducing the movement speed of the feeding tray  32  when being moved from the open position to the close position. 
     That is, in a configuration in which both end portions of the rotation shaft  300  provided at the feeding tray  32  are supported by the bearing portion at the housing  31 , the feeding tray  32  moves, accelerated by its own weight, to collide with the housing  31 , when the feeding tray  32  is moved from the open state to the close state. Further, a collision sound generated at the time of the collision is comparatively loud, which makes it difficult to achieve the satisfaction of the user. Under such a circumstance, the embodiment employs the configuration for making the first gear  310  interlock with the gear damper  400 , to enable the feeding tray  32  to move at a slower speed than the movement speed of the feeding tray  32  moving under its own weight. This makes it possible to reduce the sound generated when the feeding tray  32  makes contact with the housing  31 , which enhances the satisfaction of the user. 
     Note that, in the rotation mechanism of the feeding tray  32  of the embodiment, a gear train  420  is disposed between the first gear  310  provided at the rotation shaft  300  and the gear damper  400 . The gear train  420  of the embodiment is constituted by two-stage gears  421  and  422 . The two-stage gears  421  and  422  are installed at the internal frame  320 . The two-stage gears  421  and  422  are configured to rotate about shafts  421   c  and  422   c , respectively. The two-stage gear  421  is disposed in the +Y direction of the two-stage gear  422 . The two-stage gears  421  and  422  are constituted by gears  421   a  and  422   a , and gears  421   b  and  422   b  having a smaller gear diameter than the gears  421   a  and  422   a , respectively. 
     Further, the gear damper  400  meshes with the gear  421   a  of the two-stage gear  421 , the gear  421   b  of the two-stage gear  421  meshes with the gear  422   a  of the two-stage gear  422 , and the gear  422   b  of the two-stage gear  422  meshes with the first gear  310 . This allows the first gear  310  to interlock with the gear damper  400 . The gear damper  400 , the gears  421   a  and  422   a , the gears  421   b  and  422   b , and the first gear  310  are spur gears. Note that in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the gears  421   a  and  422   a , the gears  421   b  and  422   b , and the first gear  310  are displayed with tip end portions of these gears being omitted. Note that an amount of torque that is transmitted from the gear damper  400  to the first gear  310  can be appropriately adjusted by setting the number, gear ratios, and the like of the gears that constitute the gear train  420 . 
     Also, the two-stage gears  421  and  422  that constitute the first gear  310  and the gear train  420  are formed of a metal material. For example, sintered metal formed of a metal powder sintered at a temperature around the melting point of the metal powder is used. This makes it possible to enhance the durability compared to a configuration using a plastic material, for example. 
     As described above, according to the embodiment, an amplified torque is transmitted via the gear train  420  to the first gear  310 , thus, the movement speed of the feeding tray  32  when being moved from the open position to the close position can be further reduced. This makes it possible to reduce the sound generated when closing the feeding tray  32  to make contact with the support plate  34 , which enhances the satisfaction of the user. In addition, the feeding tray  32  moves slowly from the open position to the close position, to thus achieve a high-class feeling. 
     Further, the provision of the gear train  420  enables a sufficient torque to be transmitted to the first gear  310  even when employing the gear damper  400  having a compact size. This makes it possible to miniaturize the recording apparatus  30 , conserving the space inside the housing  31 . 
     Also, the movement speed of the feeding tray  32  can be reduced even if letting go of the grip of the feeding tray  32  at a midway position between the close position and the open position of the feeding tray  32 . 
     Note that when the feeding tray  32  is caused to move from the close position to the open position with gripping the feeding tray  32 , the torque generated between the first gear  310  and the gear damper  400  enables to achieve a moderate texture. 
     Note that, in the embodiment, the first gear  310  provided at the rotation shaft  300  is configured, but not limited to, to interlock with the gear damper  400  provided at the housing  31 . For example, a configuration may also be employed in which the feeding tray  32  is provided with the gear damper  400  to cause the rotation shaft  300  to interlock with the gear damper  400 . This allows the torque generated from the gear damper  400  to be transmitted to the rotation shaft  300 , thus reducing the movement speed of the feeding tray  32  when being moved from the open position to the close position. This also makes it possible to simplify the configuration. 
     Further, in the embodiment, the rotation mechanism of the feeding tray  32  is provided only at the other end side of the rotation shaft  300 , however, without being limited to this, the rotation mechanism of the feeding tray  32  may be provided at both ends of the rotation shaft  300 , as necessary.