Feeding apparatus for sheet-shaped recording material and image recording apparatus

Abstract

Feeding roller pairs are respectively constituted of a capstan roller and a nip roller. The nip roller is movable between a nip position and a release position. A couple of position sensors are disposed along a passage of a recording-paper sheet. The downstream nip roller is moved to the nip position when a time T 2 has passed after detecting an anterior end of the sheet with the downstream position sensor. The upstream nip roller is moved to the release position when a time T 3 has passed after detecting a posterior end of the sheet with the upstream position sensor. Test prints are prepared as the times T 2 and T 3 are changed. Patterns of the test prints are observed, and the times T 2 and T 3 are altered by selecting a number of the optimum test print.

1 . A feeding apparatus for a sheet-shaped recording material, in which an upstream roller pair and a downstream roller pair are respectively disposed at an upstream side and a downstream side of a record position in a feeding direction of said recording material, and an upstream movable roller constituting said upstream roller pair and a downstream movable roller constituting said downstream roller pair are respectively movable between a nip position for nipping and feeding said recording material, and a release position for releasing the nip of said recording material, said feeding apparatus comprising: 
 a first moving mechanism for moving said upstream movable roller to said release position before a posterior end of said recording material passes through said upstream roller pair;    a second moving mechanism for moving said downstream movable roller to said nip position after an anterior end of said recording material has passed through said downstream roller pair; and    a controller for enabling drive start timing of at least one of said first moving mechanism and said second moving mechanism to be changed.    
     
     
         2 . A feeding apparatus for a sheet-shaped recording material according to  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 a first position sensor disposed at an upstream side of said upstream roller pair in the feeding direction of said recording material; and    a second position sensor disposed at an upstream side of said downstream roller pair in the feeding direction of said recording material,    wherein said controller enables each of a first waiting time and a second waiting time to be changed, said first waiting time being taken for starting a drive of said first moving mechanism after detecting the posterior end of said recording material with said first position sensor, and said second waiting time being taken for starting a drive of said second moving mechanism after detecting the anterior end of said recording material with said second position sensor.    
     
     
         3 . A feeding apparatus for a sheet-shaped recording material according to  claim 2 , wherein said first waiting time and said second waiting time are settable in accordance with a width and a kind of said recording material.  
     
     
         4 . A feeding apparatus for a sheet-shaped recording material according to  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 a single pulse motor for driving said first moving mechanism and said second moving mechanism.    
     
     
         5 . A feeding apparatus for a sheet-shaped recording material according to  claim 4 , wherein said first moving mechanism includes: 
 an eccentric cam rotated by said pulse motor; and    a first drive lever, one end of which abuts on said eccentric cam and the other end of which is connected to said upstream movable roller, said first drive lever rotating in association with a rotation of said eccentric cam to move said upstream movable roller between said nip position and said release position.    
     
     
         6 . A feeding apparatus for a sheet-shaped recording material according to  claim 5 , wherein said second moving mechanism includes: 
 a second drive lever, one end of which abuts on said eccentric cam and the other end of which is connected to said downstream movable roller, said second drive lever rotating in association with the rotation of said eccentric cam to move said downstream movable roller between said nip position and said release position.    
     
     
         7 . A feeding apparatus for a sheet-shaped recording material according to  claim 4 , wherein said first moving mechanism includes: 
 a drive cam rotated by said pulse motor;    a first eccentric cam fixed to said drive cam and integrally rotating therewith;    a first cam follower abutting on said first eccentric cam, said first cam follower moving in association with a rotation of said first eccentric cam in a radius direction of said drive cam; and    a first base member for supporting said first cam follower and said upstream movable roller, said first base member rotating in association with a movement of said first cam follower to move said upstream movable roller between said nip position and said release position.    
     
     
         8 . A feeding apparatus for a sheet-shaped recording material according to  claim 7 , wherein said second moving mechanism includes: 
 a second eccentric cam fixed to said drive cam and integrally rotating therewith;    a second cam follower abutting on said second eccentric cam, said second cam follower moving in association with a rotation of said second eccentric cam in the radius direction of said drive cam; and    a second base member for supporting said second cam follower and said downstream movable roller, said second base member rotating in association with a movement of said second cam follower to move said downstream movable roller between said nip position and said release position.    
     
     
         9 . An image recording apparatus for recording an image on a sheet-shaped recording material, in which an upstream roller pair and a downstream roller pair are respectively disposed at an upstream side and a downstream side of a record position, where image recording is performed, in a feeding direction of said recording material, and an upstream movable roller constituting said upstream roller pair and a downstream movable roller constituting said downstream roller pair are respectively movable between a nip position for nipping and feeding said recording material, and a release position for releasing the nip of said recording material, said image recording apparatus comprising: 
 a first moving mechanism for moving said upstream movable roller to said release position before a posterior end of said recording material passes through said upstream roller pair;    a second moving mechanism for moving said downstream movable roller to said nip position after an anterior end of said recording material has passed through said downstream roller pair; and    a controller for enabling drive start timing of at least one of said first moving mechanism and said second moving mechanism to be changed.    
     
     
         10 . An image recording apparatus according to  claim 9 , further comprising: 
 a first position sensor disposed at an upstream side of said upstream roller pair in the feeding direction of said recording material; and    a second position sensor disposed at an upstream side of said downstream roller pair in the feeding direction of said recording material,    wherein said controller enables each of a first waiting time and a second waiting time to be changed, said first waiting time being taken for starting a drive of said first moving mechanism after detecting the posterior end of said recording material with said first position sensor, and said second waiting time being taken for starting a drive of said second moving mechanism after detecting the anterior end of said recording material with said second position sensor.    
     
     
         11 . An image recording apparatus according to  claim 10 , wherein said image recording apparatus produces a plurality of test prints on which solid patterns are recorded at a leading side and a trailing side of said recording material in the feeding direction, and said controller changes at least one of the first waiting time and the second waiting time whenever said test print is produced.  
     
     
         12 . An image recording apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein a print number is recorded on said test print, and said controller sets the first waiting time and the second waiting time so as to correspond to the selected print number.  
     
     
         13 . An image recording apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein at least one of indications representing the leading side and the trailing side is recorded on said test print.  
     
     
         14 . An image recording apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein information concerning the first waiting time and the second waiting time is recorded on said test print.  
     
     
         15 . An image recording apparatus according to claim  10 , further comprising: 
 a removable magazine loaded with said recording material and having a different ID number in accordance with a width and a kind of said recording material, said controller enabling the first waiting time and the second waiting time to be set for the respective ID numbers.    
     
     
         16 . An image recording apparatus according to  claim 10 , further comprising: 
 a single pulse motor for driving said first moving mechanism and said second moving mechanism.