Medium cassette and image recording apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021237492-A1
Application number	US-202117168327-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 5, 2021
Priority date	Feb 5, 2020
Publication date	Aug 5, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

A medium cassette of the present disclosure is a medium cassette configured to be inserted and removed with respect to an apparatus main body and capable of selectively accommodating any recording medium of a roll medium having a continuous medium which is wound in a roll shape and a single sheet medium.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A medium cassette configured to be inserted and removed with respect to an apparatus main body and capable of selectively accommodating any recording medium of a roll medium having a continuous medium which is wound in a roll shape and a single sheet medium.

2 . The medium cassette according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a support part configured to rotatably support the roll medium by contacting an outer peripheral surface of a lower part of the roll medium accommodated in the medium cassette; and a sensor configured to output a signal as to whether the roll medium is supported on the support part.

3 . The medium cassette according to claim 2 ,
wherein the support part is configured to contact the outer peripheral surface at least at a first position and a second position thereof in a direction perpendicular to a rotation axis of the roll medium, a lower end of the roll medium being located between the first position and the second position in the direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the roll medium.

4 . The medium cassette according to claim 3 ,
wherein the support part includes two support rollers which are capable of rotating about rotation axes parallel to the rotation axis of the roll medium while being in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the roll medium at the first position and the second position.

5 . The medium cassette according to claim 2 ,
wherein the sensor is a light reflection-type sensor arranged lower than a position at which the support part is in contact with the outer peripheral surface, the light reflection-type sensor being configured to detect the roll medium by detecting a lower end of the roll medium.

6 . The medium cassette according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a tray capable of selectively accommodating the roll medium and the single sheet medium, wherein the support part includes a support base arranged on a bottom surface of the tray and configured to support the roll medium, wherein the support base has a pair of inclined surfaces each inclined so that a height from the bottom surface increases as a distance from a rotation axis of the roll medium increases in a direction including the bottom surface and perpendicular to the rotation axis of the roll medium, and wherein the sensor is a light reflection-type sensor arranged on one of the inclined surfaces, the light reflection-type sensor being configured to detect the roll medium by detecting the continuous medium which is unwound from the roll medium supported on the support base and is provided along the inclined surface.

7 . The medium cassette according to claim 2 ,
wherein the sensor is a pressure sensor configured to detect the roll medium by detecting a pressing force applied by a lower end of the roll medium supported on the support part.

8 . An image recording apparatus comprising:
the medium cassette according to claim 1 ; and the apparatus main body, wherein the medium cassette further includes:
a support part configured to rotatably support the roll medium by contacting an outer peripheral surface of a lower part of the roll medium accommodated in the medium cassette, and
a sensor configured to output a signal as to whether the roll medium is supported on the support part,
wherein the apparatus main body is provided therein with:
a conveying mechanism configured to convey the continuous medium of the roll medium or the single sheet medium accommodated in the medium cassette,
a recording unit configured to record an image on the continuous medium or the single sheet medium which is conveyed by the conveying mechanism, and
a controller configured to control the conveying mechanism and the recording unit, and
wherein the controller permits image recording on the continuous medium of the roll medium in a case where it is determined based on the signal that the roll medium is supported on the support part, and does not permit image recording on the continuous medium of the roll medium in a case where it is determined based on the signal that the roll medium is not supported on the support part.

9 . An image recording apparatus comprising:
the medium cassette according to claim 1 ; a recording unit configured to record an image on the roll medium or the single sheet medium; and an optical sensor provided above the medium cassette and including a light-emitting unit and a light-receiving unit, wherein the optical sensor is arranged so that an optical axis of emission light from the light-emitting unit is inclined at an inclination at which reflected light from the single sheet medium is not received by the light-receiving unit and reflected light from the roll medium is received by the light-receiving unit.

10 . The image recording apparatus according to claim 9 ,
wherein the optical sensor is arranged so that the optical axis forms a predetermined acute angle θ with respect to a direction perpendicular to a sheet surface of the single sheet medium.

11 . The image recording apparatus according to claim 9 ,
wherein the medium cassette includes a housing configuring an outer shell of the medium cassette and having therein a roll having the roll medium, wherein the housing has an opening which is provided on one side in a front and rear direction and through which an inside and an outside of the housing communicate with each other, wherein the opening is positioned further to the one side than the roll in the front and rear direction, and wherein the optical sensor is positioned further to another side than the opening and further to the one side than the roll in the front and rear direction, the another side being opposite to the one side.

12 . The image recording apparatus according to claim 11 , further comprising:
a feeder roller arranged in the medium cassette, positioned further to the other side than the roll in the front and rear direction, and configured to convey the continuous medium unwound from the roll medium toward the recording unit.

13 . The image recording apparatus according to claim 9 , further comprising:
a controller, wherein the controller is configured to:
determine that the roll medium is accommodated in the medium cassette in a case where the light-receiving unit receives reflected light, and determine that the single sheet medium is accommodated in the medium cassette in a case where the light-receiving unit does not receive reflected light; and
determine a residual amount of the roll medium on the basis of an amount of received light received by the light-receiving unit in a case where the determining determines that the roll medium is accommodated in the medium cassette.

14 . The image recording apparatus according to claim 9 , further comprising:
an adjustment mechanism configured to variably adjust an inclination of the optical axis of the optical sensor, wherein, in a case where the determining determines that the single sheet medium is accommodated in the medium cassette, the controller is further configured to:
adjust the inclination of the optical axis by controlling the adjustment mechanism so that the light-receiving unit receives reflected light from the single sheet medium, and
determine a residual amount of the single sheet medium based on an amount of received light received by the light-receiving unit which is received after the adjusting of the inclination of the optical axis is performed.

15 . The image recording apparatus according to claim 14 ,
wherein the medium cassette has a first area in which the single sheet medium is arranged and a seco

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Watari Takahiko
• Hori Yuji
• Yamaguchi Masatomo
• Mimoto Masao
• Kodama Shoko

Classifications

• B65H7/04 Primary

  responsive to absence of articles, e.g. exhaustion of pile (B65H7/14 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G03G15/6502

  Supplying of sheet copy material; Cassettes therefor · CPC title

• G03G15/6517

  Apparatus for continuous web copy material of plain paper, e.g. supply rolls; Roll holders therefor · CPC title

• G03G15/6511

  Feeding devices for picking up or separation of copy sheets · CPC title

• B65H35/06

  from or with blade, e.g. shear-blade, cutters or perforators (from or with revolving blade B65H35/08) · CPC title