Patent Publication Number: US-2023143837-A1

Title: Processing device and recording device

Description:
This application is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/474,725, filed Sep. 14, 2021, which claims the benefit of and priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-172431 filed on Oct. 13, 2020. The entire disclosures of the above-mentioned applications are hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates to a processing device and a recording device. 
     2. Related Art 
     Conventionally, a recording device equipped with a stacker that receives a recorded medium to be discharged is known. JP-A-2015-189559 discloses a recording device including a basket-shaped stacker in which a flexible sheet member is loosely attached to a frame member. 
     However, the recording device described in JP-A-2015-189559 has a configuration in which the basket-shaped stacker is slid horizontally and stored in a lower part of the device main body in substantially the shape, so that it is difficult to miniaturize the device. 
     SUMMARY 
     A processing device includes: a processing unit accommodated in a housing and configured to process a medium; and a medium receiving unit that receives the medium discharged from the housing. The medium receiving unit includes: a sheet-shaped receiving member; a rotating shaft provided inside the housing and to which one end of the receiving member is coupled; and an operating portion provided separably from the housing and to which the other end of the receiving member is coupled. The receiving member is wound around the rotating shaft and accommodated inside the housing when the operating portion is mounted on the housing. The receiving member is fed from the rotating shaft so as to receive the medium when the operating portion is separated from the housing. 
     The recording device includes a recording unit that performs recording on a medium as the processing unit described above. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a recording device as a processing device according to an embodiment. 
         FIG.  2    is a perspective view illustrating a recording device in a state where an operating portion is separated. 
         FIG.  3    is a cross-sectional view illustrating an internal configuration of a recording device. 
         FIG.  4    is an enlarged view illustrating the portion A in  FIG.  3    at an enlarged scale. 
         FIG.  5    is a plan view of a power transmission configuration between a support portion and a rotating shaft as viewed from a side surface. 
         FIG.  6    is a plan view of a power transmission configuration between a support portion and a rotating shaft as viewed from the front side. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
     1. Embodiment 
     A schematic configuration of a recording device as a processing device according to the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. As for the coordinates illustrated in the drawings, assuming that a recording device  10  is placed on a horizontal installation surface, the three virtual axes orthogonal to each other are defined as the X-axis, the Y-axis, and the Z-axis. The X-axis is a virtual axis parallel to the left-right direction of the recording device  10 . The Y-axis is a virtual axis parallel to the front-rear direction of the recording device  10 . The Z axis is a virtual axis parallel to the height direction of the recording device  10 . The tip side of the arrows representing the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis is the “+ side”, and the base end side is the “− side”. The recording device includes a recording unit that performs recording on a medium as a processing unit. The recording device illustrated in the present embodiment is a large-format printer that feeds a long medium wound in a roll shape and performs recording by an ink-jet method. A large-format printer is a printer capable of performing recording on a long medium having a width of 297 mm or more, which corresponds to the short side width of A3-size sheets. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS.  1 ,  2 , and  3   , the recording device  10  includes a recording unit  30  accommodated in a housing  12  to perform recording on a medium  22 , and a medium receiving unit  60  that receives the medium  22  discharged from the housing  12 . 
     The recording device  10  includes the housing  12  having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the left-right direction. The housing  12  has a front wall  13 , a rear wall  14 , a first side wall  15 , a second side wall  16 , and an upper wall  17 . The housing  12  is coupled to a base frame  19  that is supported by legs  11 . The recording device  10  is installed on the installation surface S with the legs  11  disposed therebetween. In the recording device  10 , the Z direction in which the base frame  19  and the upper wall  17  face each other is the height direction of the recording device  10 . The X direction in which the first side wall  15  and the second side wall  16  face each other is the left-right direction of the recording device  10 . The Y direction in which the front wall  13  and the rear wall  14  face each other is the front-rear direction of the recording device  10 . When the recording device  10  is disposed on a horizontal surface, the Z direction is a direction parallel to the vertical line. 
     In addition to the recording unit  30  that performs recording on the medium  22 , an accommodation portion  20  that receives a roll body  25  in which the medium  22  is wound in a cylindrical shape, a transport unit  40  that transports the medium  22 , and a cutting unit  50  that cuts the medium  22  are provided in the housing  12 . 
     A plurality of openings is formed in the front wall  13  of the housing  12 . A roll body accommodation port  27  for accommodating the roll body  25  is formed on the base frame  19  side below the front wall  13 . In addition, an opening  53  is formed on the upper side of the roll body accommodation port  27 , the opening  53  having the functions of a discharge port for discharging the recorded medium  22  and a feed port for feeding an receiving member  67 , to be described later, accommodating the discharged medium  22 . The medium  22  is discharged from the upper side of the opening  53 , and the receiving member  67  is fed from the lower side of the opening  53 . In the present embodiment, a configuration in which the discharge port and the feed port are formed by one opening  53  is illustrated, but the discharge port and the feed port may be provided independently. 
     A cylindrical roll body  25  formed by winding the long medium  22  around a core member  23  is accommodated in the accommodation portion  20  so as to be detachable from the roll body accommodation port  27 . In the present embodiment, the accommodation portion  20  can accommodate the two roll bodies  25  long in the X direction in a state being arranged in the Z direction. A pair of holding members  28  that holds the roll body  25  so as to be rotatable with respect to the accommodation portion  20  is attached to both ends of the roll body  25 . When the roll body  25  is rotated, the medium  22  wound around the roll body  25  is delivered to the rear wall  14  side inside the housing  12 . 
     The transport unit  40  transports the medium  22  delivered from the roll body  25 . The transport unit  40  includes a transport path forming portion  41 , an intermediate roller  42 , and a transport roller  43 . 
     The transport path forming portion  41  is provided corresponding to each of the two roll bodies  25 . The transport path forming portion  41  is located on the rear wall  14  side with respect to each of the two roll bodies  25  accommodated in the accommodation portion  20 . The transport path forming unit  41  forms a transport path  44  that guides the medium  22  delivered from the roll body  25  toward the rear wall  14  side of the housing  12  by the rotation of the roll body  25 . 
     The intermediate roller  42  and the transfer roller  43  transport the medium  22  having passed through the transport path  44  to the recording unit  30 . The intermediate roller  42  and the transport roller  43  are constituted by a driving roller and a driven roller, which are a pair of rollers that are rotatably supported with an axis along the X direction as a rotation axis. The intermediate roller  42  and the transport roller  43  sandwich and sandwich the medium  22  between the driving roller and the driven roller from both the front and back sides. When the driving rollers of the intermediate roller  42  and the transfer roller  43  are rotated, the medium  22  is transported to the support  31  through the transport path  44  and is transported on the support  31  from the rear wall  14  side to the front wall  13  side. Note that  FIG.  3    illustrates a state in which the medium  22  is delivered from both of the two roll bodies  25 , but during actual recording, the medium  22  is delivered from either one of the two roll bodies  25 . 
     The recording unit  30  includes the support  31 , a guide shaft  32 , a carriage  33 , and a recording head  34 . 
     The support  31  is located closer to the upper wall  17  side than the accommodation portion  20 . The support  31  is a planar member extending in the X direction in the housing  12 , and supports the medium  22  transported by the transport unit  40 . The guide shaft  32  is located closer to the upper wall  17  side than the support platform  31 . The guide shaft  32  is a rod-shaped member extending in the X direction. The guide shaft  31  slidably supports the carriage  32 . 
     The recording head  34  is mounted on the carriage  33 . The recording head  34  is located on the support  31  side with respect to the carriage  33 . The recording head  34  can reciprocate along the guide shaft  32  together with the carriage  33 . The recording head  34  is coupled to the cartridge  35  containing ink by a flexible tube (not illustrated). The cartridge  35  is accommodated at a position closer to the upper wall  17  side than the accommodating portion  20 , the position being closer to the second side wall  16  side than the accommodating portion  20 . The recording head  34  performs recording on the medium  22  by discharging ink onto the medium  22  supported by the support  31  while moving in the X direction. 
     The cutting unit  50  is located closer to the front wall  13  side than the recording unit  30 . The cutting unit  50  has a fixed blade and a movable blade movable with respect to the fixed blade, and cuts the medium  22  located between the fixed blade and the movable blade. The cut medium  22  is supported by a discharge port member  51  that guides the medium  22  to the upper side of the opening  53  formed in the front wall  13  and is discharged to the outside of the housing  12 . 
     The recording device  10  includes an input unit  59 . The input unit  59  is provided on an upper surface of the upper wall  17  of the housing  12 . The input unit  59  is located at a corner formed by a portion where the front wall  13  is coupled to the upper wall  17  and a portion where the second side wall  16  is coupled to the upper wall  17 . The input unit  59  is configured, for example, by a liquid crystal display device provided with a touch panel, and is used when a user inputs various types of information. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS.  3  and  4   , the medium receiving unit  60  includes an operating portion  61 , a supporting portion  63 , a rotating shaft  65 , an receiving member  67 , and the like. 
     The rotating shaft  65  is provided inside the housing  12  between the accommodating portion  20  and the discharge port member  51 . The rotating shaft  65  has a cylindrical shape long in the X direction, and the length thereof is longer than the width of the medium  22 . The rotating shaft  65  is rotatably supported with respect to the housing  12 . 
     The operating portion  61  is a rod-shaped member long in the X direction. Both ends of the operating portion  61  are supported by a pair of support portions  63  that protrudes from the front wall  13  side of the housing  12  so as to advance and retract in the +Y direction. The pair of support portions  63  protrudes outside the housing  12  from between the rotating shaft  65  and the accommodating portion  20 . That is, the operating portion  61  can be separated from the housing  12  and can be displaced between a mounting state where it is mounted on the housing  12  and a separated state where it is separated from the housing  12  as the pair of support portions  63  advances and retracts. 
     The receiving member  67  is a flexible elongated sheet-shaped member. One end of the receiving member  67  is coupled to the rotating shaft  65 , and the other end of the receiving member  67  is coupled to the operating portion  61 . The rotating shaft  65  rotates forward or reverse in conjunction with the advancement and retraction of the support portion  63 . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS.  5  and  6   , a rack  64  is provided on at least one of the pair of support portions  63 . The rack  64  is a planar rod with a plurality of teeth cut at equal pitches. In the recording device  10  of the present embodiment, the rack  64  is provided on the −Z side surface of both of the supporting portions  63 . On the other hand, a rotating shaft gear  66  that rotates in conjunction with the movement of the rack  64  is provided on the rotating shaft  65 . Furthermore, a speed increasing mechanism  70  for increasing the rotation speed of the rotating shaft gear  66  is provided between the rack  64  and the rotating shaft gear  66 . 
     The speed increasing mechanism  70  includes a first composite gear  71  and a second composite gear  74  as a composite gear in which gears having different number of teeth are stacked. The first composite gear  71  has a first gear  72  that engages with the rack  64 , and a second gear  73  having a larger diameter and a greater number of teeth than the first gear  72 , the first and second gears  72  and  73  being formed on the same shaft. When the rack  64  and the first gear  72  engage with each other, the linear movement associated with the advancement and retraction of the support  63  is converted to the rotational force of the first composite gear  71 . The second composite gear  74  has a third gear  75  that engages with the second gear  73  and has a smaller diameter and a smaller number of teeth than the second gear  73 , and a fourth gear  76  having a larger diameter and a greater number of teeth than the third gear  75 , the third and fourth gears  75  and  76  being formed on the same shaft. 
     For example, when the number of teeth of the second gear  73  is twice the number of teeth of the first gear  72 , the third gear  75  engaging with the second gear  73  rotates at a speed that is twice as fast as when the first gear  72  and the third gear  75  are directly engaged. In other words, the first composite gear  71  increases the rotation speed of the second composite gear  74 . Similarly, the second composite gear  74  increases the rotation speed of the rotating shaft gear  66 . 
     Note that in the present embodiment, the speed increasing mechanism  70  constituted by two gears of the first and second composite gears  71  and  74  is illustrated, but the speed increasing mechanism  70  may be configured as one composite gear, or three or more composite gears. Additionally, the speed increasing mechanism may be configured by combining a plurality of large and small spur gears having different diameters and numbers of teeth. 
     The receiving member  67  is wound around the rotating shaft  65  and is accommodated inside the housing  12  when the operating portion  61  is displaced from the separated state to the mounting state. In addition, when the operating portion  61  is displaced from the mounting state to the separated state, the receiving member  67  is fed out of the housing  12  from the rotating shaft  65  via the lower side of the opening  53  to create a state where it can accommodate the medium  22  discharged from the upper side of the opening  53 . The recording device  10  according to the present embodiment is configured such that the speed increasing mechanism  70  causes the feeding amount of the receiving member  67  fed from the rotating shaft  65  to be greater than the movement amount of the pair of supporting portions  63  in the +Y direction. As a result, the receiving member  67  forms a sag between the operating portion  61  and the rotating shaft  65 . 
     The operating portion  61  has a front plate  62  that forms a part of the front wall  13  of the housing  12  in the mounting state. The front plate  62  is a planar member that is long in the X direction that rises from the operating portion  61  in the +Z direction. The opening  53  is blocked by the front plate  62  when the operating portion  61  is in the mounting state. In the mounting state, the front plate  62  forms the same surface as the front wall  13 . In the present embodiment, the lower portion of the opening  53  in which the receiving member  67  is fed is blocked by the front plate  62 . 
     Note that in the present embodiment, a configuration in which the feeding amount of the receiving member  67  is greater than the movement amount of the supporting portion  63  using the speed increasing mechanism  70  has been illustrated, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the configuration in which the feeding amount of the receiving member  67  is greater than the movement amount of the supporting portion  63  may be realized using a rotating shaft having an outer circumference longer than the movement amount of the supporting portion  63  necessary for one rotation of the rotating shaft. 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  4   , the medium receiving unit  60  has a contact portion  80  and an auxiliary roller  85 . The contact portion  80  comes into contact with an outer circumferential surface  67   a  of the roll-shaped receiving member  67  wound around the rotating shaft  65  to presses the receiving member  67  against the rotating shaft  65 . The contact portion  80  is provided on both ends in the axial direction of the rotating shaft  65 , that is, in the X direction. 
     The contact portion  80  has a contact roller  81  and an arm  83 . The contact roller  81  is a driven roller that is rotated in contact with the outer circumferential surface  67   a  of the receiving member  67  that rotates with the rotating shaft  65  when the receiving member  67  is wound around or fed from the rotating shaft  65 . The arm  83  is located above the rotating shaft  65 . One end of the arm  83  is located closer to the −Y direction than the vertical line CL 1  that intersects the axis of the rotating shaft  65 , and is rotatably supported by an arm shaft  84  that extends in the X direction. The other end of the arm  83  is located closer to the +Y direction than the vertical line CL 1  and rotatably supports the contact roller  81  via a contact roller shaft  82 . That is, the contact roller  81  comes into contact with the roll-shaped receiving member  67  between a straight line of the vertical line CL 1  that extends in the +Z direction from the axis of the rotating shaft  65  and a straight line of a horizontal line CL 2  that extends in the +Y direction from the axis of the rotating shaft  65 , the horizontal inertia CL 2  intersecting the axis of the rotating shaft  65 . 
     The contact roller  81  presses the roll-shaped receiving member  67  wound around the rotating shaft  65  against the rotating shaft  65  with the aid of a pressing member (not illustrated) that presses the arm  83  downward. As a result, the contact roller  81  can be brought into contact with the outer circumferential surface  67   a  of the receiving member  67  in conformance with the radius of the roll-shaped receiving member  67  that changes according to the rotation of the rotating shaft  65 . 
     Note that in the present embodiment, a configuration in which the contact portion  80  is provided at both ends of the rotating shaft  65  is illustrated, but a plurality of contact portions may be further provided in addition to those at both ends. 
     The auxiliary roller  85  comes into contact with the outer circumferential surface  67   a  of the roll-shaped receiving member  67  wound around the rotating shaft  65  to press the receiving member  67  against the rotating shaft  65 . The auxiliary roller  85  is a driven roller that is rotated in contact with the outer circumferential surface  67   a  of the receiving member  67  that rotates when the receiving member  67  is wound around or fed from the rotating shaft  65 . The auxiliary roller  85  is located below the horizontal line CL 2  that intersects the axis of the rotating shaft  65  and is rotatably supported via an auxiliary roller shaft  86 . Furthermore, the auxiliary roller  85  is preferably provided at a position overlapping the vertical line CL 1  that intersects the axis of the rotating shaft  65 . 
     The auxiliary roller  85  presses the roll-shaped receiving member  67  wound around the rotating shaft  65  against the rotating shaft  65  with the aid of a pressing member that presses the auxiliary roller shaft  86  upward. As a result, the auxiliary roller  85  can be brought into contact with the outer circumferential surface  67   a  of the receiving member  67  in conformance with the radius of the roll-shaped receiving member  67  that changes according to the rotation of the rotating shaft  65 . One or more auxiliary rollers  85  are provided along the X direction of the rotating shaft  65 . 
     Note that in the present embodiment, the recording device  10  is illustrated as a processing device provided with the recording unit  30  that performs recording by an ink-jet method as a processing unit, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The processing device may be a recording device other than an ink-jet recording device, and may be a copying device, a fax device, a multi-functional device provided with a plurality of these functions, or the like. 
     As described above, according to the recording device and the recording method according to the present embodiment, the effects below can be obtained. 
     The processing device includes a processing unit that processes the medium  22 , and the medium receiving unit  60  that receives the medium  22  discharged from the housing  12 . The medium receiving unit  60  includes the sheet-shaped receiving member  67 , the rotating shaft  65  to which one end of the receiving member  67  is coupled, and the operating portion  61  to which the other end of the receiving member  67  is coupled. When the operating portion  61  is mounted on the housing  12 , the receiving member  67  is wound around the rotating shaft  65  and accommodated in the housing  12 . When the operating portion  61  is separated from the housing  12 , the receiving member  67  is fed from the rotating shaft  65  and the medium  22  can be accommodated therein. The receiving member  67  for accommodating the medium  22  is accommodated in the housing  12  in a state of being wound around the rotating shaft  65 . Due to this, by accommodating the medium receiving unit  60  in a narrow space, it is possible to provide a processing device having a reduced device size. 
     The medium receiving unit  60  includes the pair of support portions  63  that protrudes from the housing  12  in a retractable manner and supports both ends of the operating portion  61 , the rack  64  provided on the supporting portion  63 , and the rotating shaft gear  66  provided on the rotating shaft  65 . The rack  64  moves along with the advancement and retraction of the support  63 . The rotating shaft  65  rotates with the rotating shaft gear  66  that rotates in conjunction with the movement of the rack  64 . As a result, the sheet-shaped receiving member  67  can be easily wound or fed around the rotating shaft  65 . 
     The rack  64  is provided on both of the pair of support portions  63 . As a result, regardless of the gripping position of the operating portion  61  gripped in order to move the support portion  63  back and forth, the receiving member  67  can be stably wound or fed around the rotating shaft  65 . 
     The feeding amount of the receiving member  67  is greater than the movement amount of the supporting portion  63 . As a result, the receiving member  67  sags between the operating portion  61  and the rotating shaft  65 , and thus the medium  22  can be suitably accommodated in the sagging portion. 
     The speed increasing mechanism  70  for increasing the rotation speed of the rotating shaft gear  66  is provided between the rack  64  and the rotating shaft gear  66 . As a result, since the feeding amount of the receiving member  67  is greater than the movement amount of the support portion  63 , the receiving member  67  can be loosened between the operating portion  61  and the rotating shaft  65 . 
     The speed increasing mechanism  70  includes the first and second composite gears  71  and  74  in which gears having different numbers of teeth are stacked. As a result, the speed increasing mechanism  70  can be easily formed. 
     The processing device has the contact portion  80  that comes into contact with the outer circumferential surface  67   a  of the receiving member  67  wound around the rotating shaft  65 , and presses the receiving member  67  against the rotating shaft  65 . As a result, the frictional force between the rotating shaft  65  and the receiving member  67  increases, and when the receiving member  67  wound in a roll shape is fed, the rotating shaft  65  can be prevented from idling with respect to the receiving member  67 . Accordingly, the receiving member  67  wound around the rotating shaft  65  can be suitably fed. 
     The contact portion  80  is provided at both ends in the axial direction of the rotating shaft  65 . As a result, the effect of suppressing the rotating shaft  65  from idling with respect to the receiving member  67  is improved. 
     The contact portion  80  has the contact roller  81  that is driven by the rotation of the receiving member  67 . As a result, the receiving member  67  can be pressed against the rotating shaft  65  without hindering the rotation of the rotating shaft  65 . 
     The contact roller  81  is provided between a straight line of the horizontal line CL 2  that extends from the rotating shaft  65  toward the operating portion  61  side, the horizontal line CL 2  intersecting the axis of the rotating shaft  65  and a straight line of the vertical line CL 1  that extends upward from the rotating shaft  65 , the vertical line CL 1  intersecting the axis of the rotating shaft  65 . As a result, the receiving member  67  can be suitably fed toward the operating portion  61  side. 
     The processing device has the auxiliary roller  85  that comes into contact with the outer circumferential surface  67   a  of the receiving member  67  wound around the rotating shaft  65  below the horizontal line CL 2  that intersects the axis of the rotating shaft  65 . As a result, the receiving member  67  wound around the rotating shaft  65  can be prevented from being unwound and sagging below the rotating shaft  65 . 
     The opening  53  in which the accommodating portion  67  is fed is formed in the housing  12 , and at least a portion of the opening  53  is blocked in a state in which the operating portion  61  is mounted on the housing  12 . As a result, the design of the device when the operating portion  61  is mounted can be improved. 
     The operating portion  61  has the front plate  62  that forms a part of the housing  12  in a state where the operating portion  61  is mounted on the housing  12 . As a result, a large opening  53  for feeding the receiving member  67  can be formed without impairing the design of the device. 
     The recording device  10  includes the recording unit  30  that performs recording on the medium  22  as a processing unit. As a result, by accommodating the medium receiving unit  60  in a narrow space, it is possible to provide the recording device  10  having a reduced device size.