Recording device with ejection unit for ejecting recording medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9487033-B2
Application number	US-201514874557-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 5, 2015
Priority date	Mar 3, 2010
Publication date	Nov 8, 2016
Grant date	Nov 8, 2016

Abstract

The recording device includes a recording unit, a conveying unit, an ejection unit, and a controller. The controller is configured to urge a driven roller of the ejection unit toward a drive roller of the ejection unit by a first load to eject a recording medium while the recording is performed on the recording medium of which a rear end has left the conveying unit, determine whether or not the recording is finished while the driven roller is urged toward the drive roller by the first load, switch the first load to a second load, which is less than the first load, to eject the recording medium on which the recording is finished in response to determining that the recording is finished, and urge the driven roller toward the drive roller by the second load while ejecting the recording medium on which the recording is finished.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A recording device comprising:
a recording unit configured to perform recording on a recording medium;
a conveying unit configured to convey the recording medium;
an ejection unit configured to eject the recording medium on which recording has been performed, the ejection unit having a drive roller and a driven roller urged toward the drive roller; and
a controller configured to control the recording unit to perform the recording on the recording medium, and control the ejection unit to eject the recording medium by the driven roller and the drive roller,
the controller being further configured to urge the driven roller toward the drive roller by a first load to eject the recording medium while the recording is performed on the recording medium of which a rear end has left the conveying unit, determine whether or not the recording is finished while the driven roller is urged toward the drive roller by the first load, switch the first load to a second load by which the driven roller is urged toward the drive roller to eject the recording medium on which the recording is finished in response to determining that the recording is finished, and urge the driven roller toward the drive roller by the second load while ejecting the recording medium on which the recording is finished, the second load being less than the first load.

2. The recording device according to claim 1 , further comprising
a recording medium support unit configured to support the recording medium in a position facing the recording unit,
the recording medium support unit having a suction hole that is configured to apply suction force to a reverse surface of the recording medium and holding the recording medium by suction, and
the suction of the recording medium via the suction hole being turned off at least when the driven roller is urged toward the drive roller by the second load.

3. The recording device according to claim 1 , wherein
the ejection unit includes
a first roller group including a plurality of roller pairs, each including a drive roller and a driven roller, disposed at prescribed intervals along a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction, and
a second roller group including a plurality of roller pairs, each including a drive roller and a driven roller, disposed at prescribed intervals along a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction, the second roller group being provided downstream of the first roller group,

while the driven roller is urged toward the drive roller by the second load, the driven rollers of the first roller group and the driven rollers of the second roller group are disposed alternately along the direction orthogonal to the conveying direction.

4. The recording device according to claim 3 , wherein
the drive roller of each of the roller pairs in the first roller group is spaced apart from and disposed upstream in the conveying direction relative to the drive roller of each of the roller pairs in the second roller group.

5. The recording device according to claim 1 , wherein
the ejection unit includes
a primary roller pair which has a first driven roller urged by the first load and a second driven roller urged by the second load, and which switches between a state in which the drive roller and the first driven roller constitute a pair and a state in which the drive roller and the second driven roller constitute a pair,
a secondary roller pair which has only a first driven roller and which switches between a state in which the drive roller and the first driven roller constitute a pair and a state in which the first driven roller is separated from the drive roller,
a first roller group including the primary and secondary roller pairs disposed sequentially in prescribed intervals along a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction, and
a second roller group provided downstream of the first roller group and including a plurality of the primary roller pairs and the secondary roller pairs disposed sequentially in prescribed intervals along the direction orthogonal to the conveying direction,

while the driven roller is urged toward the drive roller by the second load, a state occurs in which the second driven rollers of the first roller group and the second driven rollers of the second roller group are disposed alternately along the direction orthogonal to the conveying direction.

6. The recording device according to claim 5 , wherein
when the controller switches the first load to a second load, one of the first roller group and the second roller group is switched first.

7. The recording device according to claim 6 , wherein
when the controller switches the first load to a second load, the first roller group is switched first.

8. The recording device according to claim 1 , wherein
during recording until the rear end of the recording medium leaves the conveying unit, the driven roller is separated from the drive roller.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Moriya Yuki
• Shimada Yoshitaka
• Ozaki Kazuma

Classifications

• B41J13/0009

  control of the transport of the copy material · CPC title

• B41J11/04

  Roller platens · CPC title

• B41J29/38

  Drives, motors, controls or automatic cut-off devices for the entire printing mechanism · CPC title

• B41J11/0085 Primary

  Using suction for maintaining printing material flat (on rotatable drums B41J13/226) · CPC title