Medium conveyance device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12415692-B2
Application number	US-202118568746-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 15, 2021
Priority date	Jun 15, 2021
Publication date	Sep 16, 2025
Grant date	Sep 16, 2025

Abstract

Provided is a medium conveying apparatus to enable suitable feeding of a plurality of types of media. A medium conveying apparatus includes a guide member including an opening or a notch and configured to form a conveyance surface of a medium, a feed roller located inside the opening or the notch and configured to feed the medium, a separation roller located to face the feed roller, and protruding parts located on left and right sides of the separation roller relative to a medium conveying direction. The guide member includes recessed parts positioned on left and right sides of the feed roller relative to the medium conveying direction. The protruding parts are located at positions facing the opening or the notch, or the recessed parts in such a way that the medium is conveyed between the protruding parts and the recessed parts. A tip of each of the protruding parts is positioned on the feed roller side of a nip part of the feed roller and the separation roller.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A medium conveying apparatus comprising:
a feed roller to feed a medium;
a separation roller located to face the feed roller and to form a nip part with the feed roller for separating the medium;
a press roller facing the feed roller and located on an upstream side of the nip part formed by the feed roller and the separation roller in a medium conveying direction to press the medium fed by the feed roller toward the feed roller;
protruding parts located on left and right sides of the separation roller relative to the medium conveying direction, and configured to move in conjunction with the press roller, wherein
a portion of at least one of the protruding parts is positioned on the feed roller side of the nip part, and
when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the medium conveying direction, at least a portion of at least one of the protruding parts continuously overlaps with the nip part throughout feeding of the medium.

2. The medium conveying apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a loading tray; and
a guide member, which is located at a first position where contact between the medium placed in the loading tray, and the feed roller and the press roller is restricted before medium feeding, and is located at a second position where contact between the medium placed in the loading tray, and the feed roller and the press roller is allowed at a time of medium feeding, wherein
the press roller is configured to come in contact with the medium placed in the loading tray before the feed roller comes in contact with the medium when an amount of medium placed in the loading tray is greater than or equal to a predetermined amount, and come in contact with the medium placed in the loading tray after the feed roller comes in contact with the medium when the amount of medium placed in the loading tray is less than the predetermined amount, at a time when the guide member moves from the first position to the second position.

3. The medium conveying apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising second protruding parts facing the feed roller, located on an upstream side of the nip part in the medium conveying direction, and configured to guide the medium fed by the feed roller to the nip part.

4. The medium conveying apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a guide member including an opening, notch, or a recessed part and configured to form a conveyance surface of the medium, wherein a contact surface of at least one of the protruding parts coming in contact with the medium fed by the feed roller is formed in such a way as to be in parallel with a region of the conveyance surface on an upstream side of the opening, the notch, or the recessed part in the medium conveying direction.

5. The medium conveying apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a contact surface of at least one of the protruding parts coming in contact with the medium fed by the feed roller is R-shaped.

6. The medium conveying apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the protruding parts have elasticity.

7. The medium conveying apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a guide member including an opening, notch, or a recessed part and configured to form a conveyance surface of the medium, wherein the guide member further includes a moving part located outside the opening, the notch, or the recessed part in a direction perpendicular to the medium conveying direction and provided in such a way as to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance surface according to a weight of the fed medium.

8. The medium conveying apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the moving part is provided in such a way as to be movable between a first position higher than a top surface of the feed roller and a second position lower than the top surface of the feed roller in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance surface.

9. The medium conveying apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a guide member including an opening, notch, or a recessed part and configured to form a conveyance surface of the medium, wherein the protruding parts are located at the positions facing the opening or the notch, or the recessed part in such a way that the medium is conveyed between the protruding parts and the opening or the notch, or the recessed part.

10. The medium conveying apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a flap;
a guide member movable between a first position and a second position; and
a loading tray for placing the medium to be fed by the feed roller; wherein
the guide member restricts contact between the medium placed on the loading tray and the feed roller when located at the first position, and allows contact between the medium placed in the loading tray and the feed roller when located at the second position, and
the flap is engaged with the guide member when the guide member is located at the first position to prevent the medium from entering the nip part.

11. The medium conveying apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the protruding parts are not swingable.

Assignees

• Pfu Ltd

Inventors

• Shimosaka Kiichiro
• Morikawa Syuichi

Classifications

• B65H2801/12

  Single-function printing machines, typically table-top machines · CPC title

• B65H2404/13163

  in longitudinal direction · CPC title

• B65H2404/13161

  Regularly spaced grooves · CPC title

• B65H2301/5122

  Corrugating; Stiffening · CPC title

• B65H2301/51214

  parallel to direction of displacement of handled material · CPC title