MEDIUM CONVEYING DEVICE, MEDIUM PLACING DEVICE, AND MEDIUM PROCESSING DEVICE

Description

The present application is based on, and claims priority from JP Application Serial Number 2024-182568, filed October 18, 2024, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a medium conveying device that conveys a medium. The present disclosure also relates to a medium placing device that places a medium. The present disclosure also relates to a medium processing device that performs processing on a medium.

2. Related Art

A processing device that performs stapling, punching, or the like on a medium such as a sheet is known according to the related art, and an example thereof is disclosed in JP-A-2024-015865. The processing device described in JP-A-2024-015865 includes a processing tray on which a medium to be subjected to post-processing is loaded, an alignment unit that aligns one end of the medium loaded on the processing tray, and a rotation unit that applies a conveying force toward the alignment unit to the medium. The rotation unit includes a rotating shaft, a holding unit provided at the rotating shaft, a conveying force applying unit provided at the holding unit, and a fixing unit that fixes the conveying force applying unit to the rotating shaft. The conveying force applying unit integrally includes a base part and a plurality of contact parts protruding from the base part in a direction including a radial direction, and the contact parts come into contact with the medium with elastic deformation and thus apply a conveying force to the medium.

An opening is formed in the base part of the conveying force applying unit, and as the opening is enlarged, the base part can be attached to and detached from the holding unit in a direction intersecting the axial direction. That is, to replace the conveying force applying unit, the conveying force applying unit is attached to and detached from the holding unit. After the conveying force applying unit is attached to the holding unit, the conveying force applying unit is fixed to the holding unit by using a fixing member. The fixing member is fixed to the rotating shaft with a screw.

JP-A-2024-015865 is an example of the related art.

In the configuration described in JP-A-2024-015865, the replacement of the conveying force applying unit has the following problems. After the conveying force applying unit is attached to the holding unit, in order to perform screw fixing using the fixing member, it is necessary to hold the conveying force applying unit and the fixing member with one hand and perform screw fixing with the other hand. Therefore, when the periphery of the installation place of the rotation unit is narrow, it is difficult to replace the conveying force applying unit. Also, since the fixing member and the screw are small in size, the fixing member and the screw may enter a position where the fixing member and the screw cannot be collected when dropped during work.

SUMMARY

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a medium conveying device includes: a rotating shaft that rotates; and a paddle unit that is detachably attached to the rotating shaft and conveys a medium, wherein the paddle unit includes a blade part that includes a contact part coming into contact with the medium, and a case part that includes a main body part holding the blade part and a lid part openable and closable in relation to the main body part and that is attached to the rotating shaft when the main body part and the lid part engage with each other and the lid part closes, and the main body part is provided with an insertion hole in which the contact part is inserted in an intersecting direction intersecting an axial direction of the rotating shaft.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a medium placing device includes: a placement unit on which a medium is placed; an alignment unit that strikes a first side of the medium placed on the placement unit and thus aligns the medium; and the above-described medium conveying device that conveys the medium toward the alignment unit in the placement unit.

According to still another aspect of the present disclosure, a medium processing device includes: the above-described medium placing device; and a processing unit that performs processing on the medium placed on the placement unit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of a recording system.

FIG. 2 shows the internal configuration of the media processing device and shows a state where a discharge driven roller is retracted from a discharge drive roller.

FIG. 3 shows the internal configuration of the medium processing device and shows a state where a medium can be nipped by the discharge driven roller and the discharge drive roller.

FIG. 4 is a view of the medium processing device as viewed from a discharge direction, showing the operation transition of a low-friction sheet member.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a side cursor.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the low-friction sheet member and an attachment part.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing how the low-friction sheet member is attached to and detached from the side cursor.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the side cursor.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of a part A in FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the side cursor.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of a part B in FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of an attachment part and a low-friction sheet member according to another embodiment.

FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view of the attachment part and the low-friction sheet member according to the another embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the attachment part and the low-friction sheet member according to the another embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of the attachment part and the low-friction sheet member according to the another embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a rotating shaft and a second paddle unit.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the rotating shaft.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the rotating shaft and the second paddle unit, showing a state where the second paddle unit is being attached to the rotating shaft.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the second paddle unit.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of the second paddle unit with a lid part opened.

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of the second paddle unit with the lid part opened.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of a case with the lid part opened.

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of a blade part.

FIG. 24 is a cross-sectional view of the second paddle unit and the rotating shaft, taken along a plane orthogonal to an axial direction.

FIG. 25 is a cross-sectional view of the second paddle unit with the lid part opened, taken along a plane orthogonal to the axial direction.

FIG. 26 is a cross-sectional view of the second paddle unit and the rotating shaft, taken along a plane parallel to the axial direction.

FIG. 27 is a cross-sectional view of a second paddle according to another embodiment, taken along a plane perpendicular to the axial direction.

FIG. 28 is a cross-sectional view of a second paddle unit according to another embodiment, taken along a plane orthogonal to the axial direction.

FIG. 29 is a cross-sectional view showing a second paddle unit according to another embodiment and showing the second paddle unit and a rotating shaft, taken along a plane orthogonal to the axial direction.

FIG. 30 is a view showing the second paddle unit according to the another embodiment, showing a state where a contact member is inserted into a case part in a wrong direction.

FIG. 31 is a perspective view of the contact member.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The present disclosure will be schematically described below.

According to a first aspect, a medium conveying device includes: a rotating shaft that rotates; and a paddle unit that is detachably attached to the rotating shaft and conveys a medium, wherein the paddle unit includes a blade part that includes a contact part coming into contact with the medium, and a case part that includes a main body part holding the blade part and a lid part openable and closable in relation to the main body part and that is attached to the rotating shaft when the main body part and the lid part engage with each other and the lid part closes, and the main body part is provided with an insertion hole in which the contact part is inserted in an intersecting direction intersecting an axial direction of the rotating shaft.

According to this aspect, since the case part is configured to be attached to the rotating shaft by attaching the blade part to the case part and then engaging the main body part and the lid part with each other to close the lid part, a tool is not required in the work of attaching the paddle unit, and the work of replacing the paddle unit is facilitated.

Also, since the main body part is provided with the insertion hole in which the contact part is inserted in the intersecting direction intersecting the axial direction of the rotating shaft, the contact part can be prevented from coming off in the axial direction.

In a second aspect, which is an aspect according to the first aspect, the blade part is sandwiched and held between the rotating shaft and the case part when the lid part closes in relation to the main body part.

According to this aspect, since the blade part is sandwiched and held between the rotating shaft and the case part when the lid part closes in relation to the main body part, the blade part can be prevented from falling off from the case part.

In a third aspect, which is an aspect according to the first aspect, the lid part includes an engaging part that engages with the main body part, and the blade part is sandwiched and held between the engaging part and the rotating shaft when the lid part closes in relation to the main body part.

According to this aspect, since the blade part is sandwiched and held between the engaging part and the rotating shaft when the lid part closes in relation to the main body part, the blade part can be prevented from falling off from the case part.

In a fourth aspect, which is an aspect according to the second aspect, the blade part includes a clamping part that clamps the rotating shaft.

According to this aspect, since the blade part includes the clamping part that clamps the rotating shaft, the positional deviation of the blade part in relation to the rotating shaft can be suppressed. Also, at the time of temporary fixing before the lid part is closed, the paddle unit is less likely to fall off from the rotating shaft, and the workability of attachment and detachment is improved.

Note that this aspect may be not only according to the above-described second aspect but also according to the above-described third aspect.

In a fifth aspect, which is an aspect according to the first aspect, the main body part includes a restricting part that restricts a displacement of the contact part in a first direction, the first direction being a direction from a center of the rotating shaft to outside in the intersecting direction.

According to this aspect, since the main body part includes the restricting part that restricts the displacement of the blade part in the first direction, the contact part can be prevented from coming off the main body part in the first direction.

Note that this aspect may be not only according to the above-described first aspect but also according to any one of the above-described second to fourth aspects.

In a sixth aspect, the blade part includes a plurality of the contact parts and a base end part that couples the plurality of contact parts, a plurality of the insertion holes are provided corresponding to the plurality of contact parts, and the base end part is held by the main body part.

According to this aspect, since the plurality of insertion holes are provided corresponding to the plurality of contact parts, and the base end part is held by the main body part, the blade part is more reliably held in relation to the case part.

Note that this aspect may be not only according to the above-described first aspect but also according to any one of the above-described second to fifth aspects.

In a seventh aspect, which is an aspect according to the sixth aspect, when the contact part is inserted in the insertion hole in a wrong direction, the blade part interferes with engagement between the lid part and the main body part.

According to this aspect, when the contact part is inserted in the insertion hole in a wrong direction, the blade part interferes with the engagement between the lid part and the main body part, and therefore the contact part can be prevented from being inserted and assembled in the insertion hole in a wrong direction.

In an eighth aspect, which is an aspect according to the first aspect, the blade part includes a plurality of the contact parts, and each contact part forming the plurality of contact parts is configured as an independent member.

According to this aspect, since the blade part includes the plurality of contact parts, and each contact part forming the plurality of contact parts is configured as an independent member, the operation of inserting the contact part into the insertion hole is facilitated.

Note that this aspect may be not only according to the above-described first aspect but also according to any one of the above-described second to seventh aspects.

In a ninth aspect, which is an aspect according to the eighth aspect, the contact part includes a base end part held by the main body part, and the base end part includes a protruding part that is a part held between the rotating shaft and another base end part adjacent to the base end part in a state of being held by the main body part.

According to this aspect, since the contact part includes the base end part held by the main body part, and the base end part includes the protruding part, which is a part held between the rotating shaft and the another base end part adjacent to the base end part in the state of being held by the main body part, the contact part is more reliably held by the main body part.

In a tenth aspect, which is an aspect according to the ninth aspect, the protruding part protrudes so as to close the insertion hole which another adjacent contact part enters.

According to this aspect, since the protruding part protrudes so as to close the insertion hole which the another adjacent contact part enters, the contact part can be prevented from being erroneously inserted into the insertion hole.

In an eleventh aspect, which is an aspect according to the eighth aspect, when the contact part is inserted into the insertion hole in a wrong direction, the contact part interferes with engagement between the lid part and the main body part.

According to this aspect, when the contact part is inserted into the insertion hole in a wrong direction, the contact part interferes with the engagement between the lid part and the main body part, and therefore the contact part can be prevented from being inserted and assembled into the insertion hole in a wrong direction.

Note that this aspect may be not only according to the above-described eighth aspect but also according to the above-described ninth or tenth aspect.

In a twelfth aspect, which is an aspect according to the first aspect, the lid part is in contact with the rotating shaft and receives a torque from the rotating shaft, and a torque applied to the main body part by a reaction force received by the contact part from the medium and the torque received by the lid part from the rotating shaft act so as to strengthen engagement between the main body part and the lid part.

According to this aspect, since the torque applied to the main body part by the reaction force received by the contact part from the medium and the torque received by the lid part from the rotating shaft act so as to strengthen the engagement between the main body part and the lid part, the case part can be prevented from falling off from the rotating shaft.

Note that this aspect may be not only according to the above-described first aspect but also according to any one of the above-described second to eleventh aspects.

In a thirteenth aspect, which is an aspect according to the first aspect, the rotating shaft includes a positioning part that determines a position of the case part in an axial direction.

According to this aspect, since the rotating shaft includes the positioning part that determines the position of the case part in the axial direction, the work of positioning the case part in relation to the rotating shaft is unnecessary and the assembly work is facilitated.

Note that this aspect may be not only according to the above-described first aspect but also according to any one of the above-described second to twelfth aspects.

According to a fourteenth aspect, a medium placing device includes: a placement unit on which a medium is placed; an alignment unit that strikes a first side of the medium placed on the placement unit and thus aligns the medium; and the medium conveying device according to any one of the first to thirteenth aspects that conveys the medium toward the alignment unit in the placement unit.

According to this aspect, the medium placing device can achieve the functions and effects of any one of the above-described first to thirteenth aspects.

A fifteenth aspect, which is an aspect according to the fourteenth aspect, further includes: a low-friction sheet member that can be switched between an advanced state where the low-friction sheet member advances from outside a medium placement region of the placement unit to the medium placement region and a retracted state where the low-friction sheet member is retracted to outside the medium placement region through elastic deformation; and an attachment shaft that extends in a direction intersecting the first side and to which the low-friction sheet member is attached, wherein the low-friction sheet member is attached to the attachment shaft via an attachment part, the attachment part has an opening that is elastically deformable and is fitted to the attachment shaft, and the attachment shaft has a fitting part to which the attachment part is fitted.

According to this aspect, since the low-friction sheet member is attached to the attachment shaft via the attachment part, the attachment part is elastically deformable and has the opening for fitting with the attachment shaft, and the attachment shaft has the fitting part to which the attachment part is fitted, a tool is not required in the work of attaching and detaching the attachment part, and the work of replacing the low-friction sheet member is facilitated.

In a sixteenth aspect, which is an aspect according to the fifteenth aspect, the attachment part is deformed so as to reduce a curvature of a curve of the low-friction sheet member by a force received from the low-friction sheet member due to the elastic deformation of the low-friction sheet member.

According to this aspect, since the attachment part is deformed so as to reduce the curvature of the curve of the low-friction sheet member by the force received from the low-friction sheet member due to the elastic deformation of the low-friction sheet member, the application of an excessive force to the low-friction sheet member can be suppressed and damage to the low-friction sheet member can be suppressed. Also, the load applied to the motor that rotates the attachment shaft can be suppressed.

According to a seventeenth aspect, a medium processing device includes: the medium placing device according to the fourteenth aspect; and a processing unit that performs processing on the medium placed on the placement unit.

According to this aspect, the medium processing device can achieve the functions and effects of the above-described fourteenth aspect.

Note that this aspect may be not only according to the above-described fourteenth aspect but also according to the above-described fifteenth or sixteenth aspect.

The present disclosure will specifically be described below.

In each drawing, an X-axis direction is a device depth direction of each device forming a recording system 1. Along the X-axis direction, a +X direction, which is a direction in which an arrow faces, is a direction from a device back surface to a device front surface, and a -X direction is a direction from the device front surface to the device back surface. The X-axis direction is an example of a width direction of a medium.

A Y-axis direction is a device width direction of each device forming the recording system 1, and along the Y-axis direction, a +Y direction, which is a direction in which an arrow faces, is a left direction when viewed from a user facing the device front surface, and a -Y direction is a right direction.

A Z-axis direction is a height direction of each device forming the recording system 1, and along the Z-axis direction, a +Z direction, which is a vertical direction and in which an arrow faces, is vertically upward, and a -Z direction is vertically downward. In the description below, the +Z direction may be simply referred to as upward or above, and the -Z direction may be simply referred to as downward or below.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the recording system 1 includes a recording device 10 and a medium processing device 30. The recording device 10 according to the present embodiment is an inkjet printer that performs recording by ejecting ink, which is an example of a liquid, onto a medium represented by a recording paper, and includes a line head 18, which is an example of a recording unit. Also, the recording device 10 is a so-called multifunction peripheral including a scanner unit 12 at an upper part of the device.

The recording device 10 includes a main body unit 14, a medium accommodation unit 16 that accommodates the medium, a medium conveyance unit, not illustrated, that conveys the medium, the line head 18 that performs recording on the medium, an in-body discharge unit 22 to which the medium is discharged, and a relay unit 24 that conveys the medium to the medium processing device 30. A conveyance path TA along which the medium is conveyed is provided inside the main body unit 14.

The line head 18 includes a plurality of ink ejection nozzles, not illustrated, that are disposed corresponding to the entire area of the medium in the X-axis direction. The line head 18 ejects ink supplied from an ink tank, not illustrated, toward the medium from the plurality of ink ejecting nozzles, and thus performs recording on the medium.

The medium on which recording is performed by the recording device 10 is fed to the medium processing device 30 via the relay unit 24. The medium processing device 30 includes a device main body 32, a processing tray 42 and a stapler 34 provided inside the device main body 32, and a main tray 33 provided outside the device main body 32. The processing tray 42 is an example of a placement unit on which the medium is placed, and the stapler 34 is an example of a processing unit that performs processing on the medium placed on the processing tray 42.

The medium passed on from the relay unit 24 to the device main body 32 is conveyed through a conveyance path TB inside the device main body 32 and is fed to the processing tray 42.

The medium processing device 30 can also be referred to as a medium conveying device 26 from the viewpoint of conveying the medium. The medium conveying device 26 is a device including at least a second paddle unit 60, described later. The medium processing device 30 can also be referred to as a medium placing device 28 from the viewpoint of placing the medium on the processing tray 42. The medium placing device 28 is, for example, a device including at least the processing tray 42, a rear end alignment unit 39 described later, and the second paddle unit 60.

Hereinafter, the configuration of the medium processing device 30 will be further described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. In the description below, the medium is referred to as a medium P with a reference sign P. A bundle of media including a plurality of media P is referred to as a medium bundle Pt with a reference sign Pt.

In FIGS. 2 and 3, an A-axis direction is a direction along a support surface 42a of the processing tray 42, a -A direction is a direction in which the medium P on the processing tray 42 is pulled back toward the rear end alignment unit 39, and a +A direction is a direction in which the medium P is discharged from the processing tray 42. The A-axis direction is a direction including a Z-axis direction component and a Y-axis direction component in the present embodiment. A direction orthogonal to the A-axis direction when viewed from the X-axis direction is defined as a B-axis direction. The B-axis direction is a direction orthogonal to the support surface 42a of the processing tray 42.

A guide member 35 forms a part of the above-described conveyance path TB and extends toward the processing tray 42. The medium P conveyed in the -Y direction along the guide member 35 is fed toward the processing tray 42 by a feeding roller 46 driven by a motor, not illustrated, and a nip roller 47 that nips the medium P with the feeding roller 46.

A conveying force toward the rear end alignment unit 39 is applied to the medium P fed to the processing tray 42, by a first paddle unit 48 and the second paddle unit 60, and the medium P is thus pulled back in the -A direction.

The first paddle unit 48 includes a plurality of contact parts 48a made of an elastic material such as rubber, along the direction of rotation, and the contact parts 48a are provided to be rotatable about a rotating shaft 49 extending in the X-axis direction. In the present embodiment, three contact parts 48a are provided, but the number of contact parts is not limited to three. The first paddle unit 48 is driven in the clockwise direction in FIG. 2 by a motor, not illustrated, and thus applies a conveying force in the -A direction to the medium P fed to the processing tray 42.

The second paddle unit 60 will be described again later.

The rear end alignment unit 39 is provided in the -A direction in relation to the processing tray 42. The rear end alignment unit 39 has an alignment surface 39a parallel to the B-axis direction, and a rear end Pe of the medium P on the processing tray 42 abuts against the alignment surface 39a and is thus aligned. The rear end Pe is an example of a first side of the medium P and is a side extending in the X-axis direction.

A first guide 55 and a second guide 56 are provided above the processing tray 42. The first guide 55 and the second guide 56 guide the rear end Pe of the medium P pulled back in the -A direction by the second paddle unit 60, toward the rear end alignment unit 39. Thus, the rear end Pe of the medium P can appropriately abut against the rear end alignment unit 39. The first guide 55 is formed of, for example, a metal plate member, and the second guide 56 is formed of, for example, a flexible sheet member.

Side cursors 52 as a width direction alignment unit are provided to be movable in the X-axis direction, that is, the medium width direction, by a drive source, not illustrated, and abut on end parts in the width direction of the medium P supported by the processing tray 42 and thus align the end parts. The side cursors 52 are disposed at an interval along the X-axis direction (see FIG. 4), and the two side cursors 52 are provided so as to move toward and away from each other. In FIG. 2, the side cursor 52 provided in the -X direction, of the two side cursors 52, is shown.

The side cursor 52 will be described again later.

A flap 37 is disposed side by side with the rear end alignment unit 39 along the X-axis direction, and is provided to be swingable about a shaft part 37a extending in the X-axis direction. The flap 37 presses the medium bundle Pt on the processing tray 42 downward in the vicinity of the rear end alignment unit 39.

A pressing member 36 is provided above the processing tray 42. The pressing member 36 is provided to be swingable about a shaft part 36a extending in the X-axis direction. The pressing member 36 is provided to be rotatable by a motor, not illustrated, and rotates to knock off the medium P fed toward the processing tray 42 by the feeding roller 46, toward the processing tray 42. Thus, the end part in the -A direction of the medium P fed toward the processing tray 42 is appropriately guided to the rear end alignment unit 39.

A discharge drive roller 38 driven by a motor, not illustrated, is provided in the +A direction in relation to the processing tray 42. A discharge driven roller 40 is provided above the discharge drive roller 38. The medium bundle Pt on which binding processing is performed by the stapler 34 is nipped by the discharge drive roller 38 and the discharge driven roller 40 and is sent out toward an underlying support tray 54.

The discharge driven roller 40 can switch between a state where the discharge driven roller 40 advances to the discharge drive roller 38 and comes into contact with the medium P or the medium bundle Pt as illustrated in FIG. 3, that is, a state where the discharge driven roller 40 can nip the medium P or the medium bundle Pt with the discharge drive roller 38, and a state where the discharge driven roller 40 moves away from the medium P or the medium bundle Pt as illustrated in FIG. 2.

The discharge driven roller 40 is provided in a movable unit 43 together with the pressing member 36. The movable unit 43 is provided to be rotationally movable about a rotating shaft 46a of the feeding roller 46. The movable unit 43 rotationally moves upon receiving power from a motor, not illustrated, under the control of a control unit, not illustrated. When the movable unit 43 rotationally moves, the discharge driven roller 40 advances toward and retracts from the discharge drive roller 38.

Also, the movable unit 43 can be manually operated to be widely opened as indicated by a two-dot chain line denoted by a reference sign 43-1. This enables access to the second paddle unit 60, described later.

Next, although not illustrated, two underlying support trays 54 are provided at an interval in the X-axis direction, that is, the medium width direction, and are provided to be movable in directions toward and away from each other by power from a drive source, not illustrated. The underlying support trays 54 open by moving away from each other and close by moving toward each other. FIG. 2 illustrates the underlying support tray 54 provided in the -X direction, of the two underlying support trays 54 provided at an interval in the medium width direction.

The medium bundle Pt discharged by the discharge drive roller 38 is temporarily supported by the closed underlying support trays 54. When the underlying support trays 54 open, the medium bundle Pt supported by the underlying support trays 54 falls onto the main tray 33. As such underlying support trays 54 are provided, the alignment of the medium bundle Pt on the main tray 33 can be improved. Of course, the medium bundle Pt may be directly discharged from the processing tray 42 toward the main tray 33 without providing the underlying support trays 54.

The main tray 33 is provided to be displaceable in the Z-axis direction, that is, the loading direction, by a motor, not illustrated.

In the present embodiment, the processing performed on the medium bundle Pt is the binding processing by the stapler 34, but the processing performed on the medium bundle Pt is not limited thereto and may be punching processing of punching punch holes in the medium bundle Pt, saddle stitching processing of saddle-stitching the medium bundle Pt, shift discharge processing of discharging the medium bundle Pt while alternately shifting the discharge position in the medium width direction, or the like. Also, the medium bundle Pt may be discharged without being subjected to post-processing, and the medium bundle Pt may be stacked into a so-called pile on the main tray 33.

Next, a low-friction sheet member 151 provided at the side cursor 52 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 15.

First, the function of the low-friction sheet member 151 will be described with reference to FIG. 4. Each configuration shown in FIG. 4 is schematically shown for the convenience of description. In FIG. 4 and the subsequent drawings, an A-B-X coordinate system is shown as appropriate.

In FIG. 4, a region indicated by a reference sign Ak is a medium placement region, and a reference sign Am is a first region including a contact position where the second paddle unit 60 comes into contact with the medium P in the medium placement region Ak. The low-friction sheet member 151 is configured to be switchable between an advanced state (states ST2 and ST3) where the low-friction sheet member 151 advances from outside the medium placement region Ak of the processing tray 42 to the first region Am and a retracted state (state ST1) where the low-friction sheet member 151 retracts from the first region Am to outside the medium placement region Ak.

The low-friction sheet member 151 is provided at the side cursor 52. The side cursors 52 and the low-friction sheet members 151 are provided so as to be line-symmetric about a straight line CL passing through the center position in the medium width direction.

The coefficient of friction between the medium P and the low-friction sheet member 151 is lower than the coefficient of friction between the media P. The "low-friction" of the low-friction sheet member 151 has such a meaning. In the present embodiment, as an example of the low-friction sheet member 151, a bendable resin sheet such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate) can be used.

The low-friction sheet member 151 is fixed to an attachment shaft 150 disposed in the side cursor 52 outside the medium placement region Ak. The attachment shaft 150 is a shaft extending along the A-axis direction and is driven by a motor, not shown. Since the attachment shaft 150 is attached to the side cursor 52, the low-friction sheet member 151 is disposed at the end part in the width direction of the medium P, following the movement of the side cursor 52.

The attachment shaft 150 is driven only in a predetermined direction of rotation R1. When the attachment shaft 150 rotates, the low-friction sheet member 151 switches between the advanced state (states ST2 and ST3) and the retracted state (state ST1).

In FIG. 4, a reference sign F1 denotes a fixed end of the low-friction sheet member 151, and a reference sign F2 denotes a free end of the low-friction sheet member 151. The length from the fixed end F1 to the free end F2 is longer than the shortest distance from the attachment shaft 150 to the support surface 42a of the processing tray 42. Therefore, when the attachment shaft 150 rotates from the retracted state, the low-friction sheet member 151 is pressed against the support surface 42a of the processing tray 42 or the medium P supported by the processing tray 42 and is deformed to be curved. When the attachment shaft 150 rotates further, the free end F2 of the low-friction sheet member 151 comes out from between the attachment shaft 150 and the processing tray 42 to outside, and the deformed state is canceled.

The state ST3 is a state where the rotation of the attachment shaft 150 has progressed from the state ST2 and the curvature of the low-friction sheet member 151 is larger than in the state ST2. By changing the phase of the rotation of the attachment shaft 150 in the advanced state in this manner, the pressing force applied to the first region Am by the low-friction sheet member 151 can be changed.

The low-friction sheet member 151 is switched from the retracted state to the advanced state after the rear end Pe of the medium P and the two end parts in the width direction thereof are aligned on the processing tray 42. The uppermost medium P on the processing tray 42 at this time is referred to as a preceding medium P. The preceding medium P is pressed toward the processing tray 42 by the low-friction sheet member 151 in the advanced state.

When a following medium P is discharged to the processing tray 42, the following medium P is discharged onto the low-friction sheet member 151 in the advanced state on the preceding medium P. Thus, when the following medium P is moved toward the rear end alignment unit 39 by the second paddle unit 60, the low-friction sheet member 151 is interposed between the preceding medium P and the following medium P.

Since the low-friction sheet member 151 is interposed between the preceding medium P and the following medium P, when the following medium P is moved toward the rear end alignment unit 39 by the second paddle unit 60, the frictional resistance between the preceding medium P and the following medium P decreases and the following medium P easily moves. Thus, the rear end Pe of the following medium P can more reliably abut against the rear end alignment unit 39, and the rear end Pe of the medium P can be appropriately aligned.

Then, the low-friction sheet member 151 is switched from the advanced state to the temporarily retracted state after the movement of the following medium P by the second paddle unit 60, and is subsequently switched to the advanced state of being located on the following medium P. In the present embodiment, after the movement of the following medium P by the second paddle unit 60 and before the alignment operation on the following medium P by the side cursor 52, the low-friction sheet member 151 is temporarily switched from the advanced state to the retracted state and is subsequently switched to the advanced state of being located on the following medium P.

Since the low-friction sheet member 151 is disposed on the following medium P after the alignment of the rear end Pe of the following medium P, the curling or floating of the following medium P can be suppressed.

In particular, when the end part of the medium P in the width direction is curled when the alignment operation is performed by the side cursor 52, the alignment of the medium P in the width direction may be insufficient. In the present embodiment, since the low-friction sheet member 151 is switched to the advanced state of being located on the following medium P before the alignment operation for the following medium P by the side cursor 52, the curling of the following medium P can be suppressed and the alignment in the width direction can be properly performed, when the alignment operation by the side cursor 52 is performed.

It is preferable to adjust the phase of rotation of the attachment shaft 150 when the low-friction sheet member 151 is in the advanced state, according to the number of the media P loaded on the processing tray 42. Thus, the curvature of the low-friction sheet member 151 can be prevented from becoming larger than an appropriate range.

In FIG. 2, a reference sign An denotes an arrangement region of the low-friction sheet member 151 in the A-axis direction. The arrangement region An includes a position which the leading end of the medium P fed to the processing tray 42 by the feeding roller 46 first comes into contact with. Thus, a situation where the following medium P is prevented from moving in the discharge direction due to the leading end of the following medium P being caught by the preceding medium P can be suppressed, and therefore the following medium P is appropriately placed on the processing tray 42.

Next, the attachment structure of the low-friction sheet member 151 will be described in detail. The side cursor 52 described below is the side cursor 52 provided in the -X direction, of the side cursor 52 provided in the +X direction and the side cursor 52 provided in the -X direction in relation to the straight line CL (see FIG. 4) along the X-axis direction, that is, the medium width direction. Since the two side cursors have a line-symmetric structure about the straight line CL (see FIG. 4) as described above, the side cursor 52 provided in the -X direction in relation to the straight line CL (see FIG. 4) will be described below, and the description of the side cursor 52 provided in the +X direction will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 5, the side cursor 52 includes a base member 53. The base member 53 includes an alignment surface 53a that aligns the end part of the medium P and a support surface 53b that supports the lowermost medium P. The above-described attachment shaft 150 is provided at the base member 53.

The low-friction sheet member 151 is attached to the attachment shaft 150 via an attachment part 153.

The attachment part 153 according to the present embodiment is formed of one member, and includes a first plate part 153a and a second plate part 153b parallel to the first plate part 153a, as illustrated in FIG. 6. The first plate part 153a and the second plate part 153b are coupled by a coupling part 153c (see FIGS. 8 to 11), and an opening 153p (see FIGS. 8 to 11) is formed between the first plate part 153a and the second plate part 153b and opposite the coupling part 153c.

The distal end of the first plate part 153a and the distal end of the second plate part 153b may extend so as to approach each other.

The attachment part 153 is formed of an elastically deformable material, for example, a metal plate material, and the opening 153p is formed to be expandable by elastic deformation.

A finger hook part 153j is formed at an end part of the first plate part 153a. The finger hook part 153j is formed to be thicker than the plate thickness of the first plate part 153a, and the workability in expanding the opening 153p is thus improved.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, two holes 151a are formed in the low-friction sheet member 151, and positioning protrusions 153h are formed at positions corresponding to the holes 151a, on the second plate part 153b. When the positioning protrusion 153h is fitted into the hole 151a, the low-friction sheet member 151 is positioned in relation to the second plate part 153b and is held in a posture so as not to be inclined in relation to the axial direction of the attachment shaft 150. The low-friction sheet member 151 is fixed to the second plate part 153b with a double-sided tape 155.

A boss 153e is formed at the first plate part 153a so as to protrude toward the second plate part 153b.

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 7, a fitting part 150a is formed in the attachment shaft 150. The fitting part 150a includes a first flat surface 150c, a second flat surface 150d (see FIG. 9) parallel to the first flat surface 150c, and a fitting hole 150b penetrating the part between the first flat surface 150c and the second flat surface 150d. The attachment part 153 with the low-friction sheet member 151 attached thereto can be fitted to the fitting part 150a.

Specifically, the fitting hole 150b is a hole into which the boss 153e can be fitted. The operator who attaches the attachment part 153 with the low-friction sheet member 151 attached thereto can expand the opening 153p (see FIGS. 8 to 11) in the attachment part 153, and thus can increase the space between the first plate part 153a and the second plate part 153b and insert the fitting part 150a between the first plate part 153a and the second plate part 153b. At this time, the boss 153e is fitted into the fitting hole 150b. An arrow J1 indicates the direction in which the attachment part 153 is attached to the fitting part 150a. The direction of attachment J1 is a direction intersecting the axial direction of the attachment shaft 150.

As described above, the attachment part 153 can be attached to the fitting part 150a. As the boss 153e is fitted into the fitting hole 150b, the shift in the phase of rotation of the attachment part 153, that is, the low-friction sheet member 151, in relation to the attachment shaft 150 is suppressed, and the low-friction sheet member 151 rotates following the rotation of the attachment shaft 150.

When the attachment part 153 is attached to the fitting part 150a, the first plate part 153a comes into close contact with the first flat surface 150c, as illustrated in FIG. 9. The second plate part 153b is in close contact with the second flat surface 150d with the low-friction sheet member 151 interposed therebetween.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, an abutment part 153f is formed at the two end parts of the coupling part 153c in the axial direction of the attachment shaft 150 so as to protrude toward the attachment shaft 150. When the attachment part 153 is attached to the fitting part 150a, the abutment part 153f abuts on the outer circumferential surface of the attachment shaft 150. Thus, the attachment part 153, that is, the low-friction sheet member 151, is held in a posture so as not to be inclined in relation to the axial direction of the attachment shaft 150, in the state of being attached to the attachment shaft 150.

When detaching the attachment part 153 from the fitting part 150a, the operator expands the opening 153p (see FIGS. 8 to 11) in the attachment part 153, detaches the boss 153e from the fitting hole 150b, and detaches the attachment part 153 from the fitting part 150a. In FIG. 7, an arrow J2 indicates the direction in which the attachment part 153 is detached from the fitting part 150a. The direction of detachment J2 is a direction intersecting the axial direction of the attachment shaft 150. The direction of detachment J2 is a direction opposite to the direction of attachment J1.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the low-friction sheet member 151 is attached to the attachment shaft 150 via the attachment part 153, the attachment part 153 has the opening 153p that is elastically deformable and is fitted to the attachment shaft 150, and the attachment shaft 150 has the fitting part 150a to which the attachment part 153 is fitted. Therefore, a tool is not required in the work of attaching and detaching the attachment part 153, and the work of replacing the low-friction sheet member 151 is facilitated.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show a state where the first flat surface 150c and the second flat surface 150d of the attachment shaft 150 are laid along the vertical direction. Since this state is the advanced state of the low-friction sheet member 151, a curve is formed in the low-friction sheet member 151. In FIG. 9, an arrow Fh1-1 indicates a restoring force due to the curve of the low-friction sheet member 151, that is, a force to return to the straight state, and the restoring force Fh1-1 acts on the attachment part 153. However, in this state, the restoring force Fh1-1 has a magnitude that does not expand the opening 153p, and the low-friction sheet member 151 is held between the second flat surface 150d of the attachment shaft 150 and the second plate part 153b of the attachment part 153 and is in close contact with both.

When the attachment shaft 150 rotates in the counterclockwise direction in the drawing from this state, the curvature of the curve formed in the low-friction sheet member 151 increases, as illustrated in the change from FIG. 8 to FIG. 10. A restoring force Fh1-2 (see FIG. 11) at this time is larger than the restoring force Fh1-1 shown in FIG. 9.

Thus, the opening 153p in the attachment part 153 is slightly expanded, and the low-friction sheet member 151 is not in close contact with the second flat surface 150d and is slightly spaced apart from the second flat surface 150d, as illustrated in FIG. 11. Thus, the curvature of the curve of the low-friction sheet member 151 is smaller than when the low-friction sheet member 151 is in close contact with the second flat surface 150d.

As described above, with the elastic deformation of the low-friction sheet member 151, the attachment part 153 is deformed by the force received from the low-friction sheet member 151 so as to reduce the curvature of the curve of the low-friction sheet member 151. Thus, the application of an excessive force to the low-friction sheet member 151 can be suppressed and therefore damage to the low-friction sheet member 151 can be suppressed. Also, the load applied to the motor (not illustrated) that rotates the attachment shaft 150 can be suppressed.

Next, another embodiment of the attachment part will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 to 15. Unlike the attachment part 153 described above, an attachment part 153A shown in FIG. 12 includes a plurality of members. As illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13, the attachment part 153A includes a base member 157, a swing member 158, and a shaft 159.

The base member 157 includes a first plate part 157a and a second plate part 157b parallel to the first plate part 157a. The first plate part 157a and the second plate part 157b are coupled by a coupling part 157c, and an opening 157p (see FIGS. 14 and 15) is formed between the first plate part 157a and the second plate part 157b and opposite the coupling part 157c. The base member 157 is formed of an elastically deformable material, for example, a metal plate material, and the opening 157p is formed to be expandable by elastic deformation. Therefore, the method of attaching and detaching the attachment part 153A to and from the attachment shaft 150 is similar to that of the attachment part 153 described above.

A finger hook part 157j is formed at an end part of the first plate part 157a. The finger hooking part 157j corresponds to the above-described finger hooking part 153j. A boss 157e is formed at the first plate part 157a. The boss 157e corresponds to the boss 153e described above.

A abutment part 157f is formed at the coupling part 157c. The abutment part 157f corresponds to the abutment part 153f described above.

Two bearing parts 157k are formed at the second plate part 157b. The shaft 159 can be inserted into the bearing parts 157k.

A shaft insertion hole 158c is formed in the swing member 158, and the shaft 159 can be inserted into the shaft insertion hole 158c.

An E-ring 160 can be attached to the shaft end of the shaft 159, and thus the shaft 159 can be fixed to the second plate part 157b so as not to move in the axial direction.

With the above configuration, the swing member 158 can be attached in a swingable manner to the second plate part 157b via the shaft 159.

On the swing member 158, a positioning protrusion 158a is formed at a position corresponding to the hole 151a in the low-friction sheet member 151. When the positioning protrusion 158a is fitted into the hole 151a, the low-friction sheet member 151 is positioned in relation to the swing member 158 and is held in a posture so as not to be inclined in relation to the axial direction of the attachment shaft 150. The low-friction sheet member 151 is fixed to the swing member 158 with a double-sided tape 155.

Two leaf spring parts 158b are formed at the swing member 158. As illustrated in FIG. 12, a hole 157n in which the leaf spring part 158b is inserted is formed in the base member 157. The leaf spring part 158b enters the space between the first plate part 157a and the second plate part 157b via the hole 157n and can be pressed against the coupling part 157c from inside, as illustrated in FIG. 14. The force with which the leaf spring part 158b is pressed against the coupling part 157c acts in the direction in which the swing member 158 comes into close contact with the second plate part 157b.

The configuration for causing the force to act in the direction in which the swing member 158 comes into close contact with the second plate part 157b is not limited to the leaf spring and may be a wire spring or a coil spring.

In the state shown in FIG. 14, the restoring force Fh1-1 of the low-friction sheet member 151 is smaller than the force with which the swing member 158 comes into close contact with the second plate part 157b, that is, the spring force of the leaf spring part 158b. Therefore, in this state, the low-friction sheet member 151 is held between the second plate part 157b and the swing member 158 and is in close contact with both.

When the attachment shaft 150 rotates in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 14 from this state, the curvature of the curve formed in the low-friction sheet member 151 increases, and the restoring force Fh1-2 (see FIG. 15) at this time is larger than the restoring force Fh1-1 shown in FIG. 14.

Thus, as shown by the change from FIG. 14 to FIG. 15, the swing member 158 swings against the spring force of the leaf spring part 158b. Thus, the low-friction sheet member 151 is not in close contact with the second plate part 157b and is spaced apart from the second plate part 157b. Thus, the curvature of the curve of the low-friction sheet member 151 is smaller than when the low-friction sheet member 151 is in close contact with the second plate part 157b.

As described above, since the attachment part 153A according to the present embodiment is deformed so as to reduce the curvature of the curve of the low-friction sheet member 151 by the force received from the low-friction sheet member 151 due to the elastic deformation of the low-friction sheet member 151, the application of an excessive force to the low-friction sheet member 151 can be suppressed and damage to the low-friction sheet member 151 can be suppressed. Also, the load applied to the motor (not illustrated) that rotates the attachment shaft 150 can be suppressed.

In the above embodiment, the low-friction sheet member 151 is fixed to the second plate part 153b, but the low-friction sheet member 151 may be fixed to the first plate part 153a. At this time, the positioning protrusion 153h may be formed at a position corresponding to the hole 151a, on the first plate part 153a. That is, the low-friction sheet member 151 may be located between the attachment shaft 150 and the first plate part 153a in the state of being attached to the attachment shaft 150.

However, as in the above embodiment, in the configuration in which the low-friction sheet member 151 is located between the attachment shaft 150 and the second plate part 153b in the state of being attached to the attachment shaft 150, the curvature of the low-friction sheet member 151 can be reduced by the length of the diameter of the attachment shaft 150. Also, as in the above-described embodiment, in the configuration in which the low-friction sheet member 151 is positioned between the attachment shaft 150 and the second plate part 153b in the state of being attached to the attachment shaft 150, the reaction force of the low-friction sheet member 151 is applied in the direction of increasing the distance between the first plate part 153a and the second plate part 153b. Therefore, with the elasticity of the attachment part 153, the curvature of the low-friction sheet member 151 can be more effectively reduced.

Next, the configuration of the second paddle unit 60 will be described in detail.

As illustrated in FIG. 16, in the present embodiment, two second paddle units 60 are provided at an interval along the medium width direction in relation to the rotating shaft 61 having an axial direction along the X-axis direction, that is, the medium width direction. Of course, the number of second paddle units 60 is not limited to two and may be one, or three or more. In the present embodiment, the second paddle units 60 are disposed at positions that are line-symmetric about the straight line CL (see FIG. 14) passing through the center position in the medium width direction.

The second paddle units 60 apply a conveying force in the -A direction to the medium P fed to the processing tray 42 as the rotating shaft 61 is driven in the clockwise direction in FIG. 2 by a motor, not illustrated.

The outer circumference of the rotating shaft 61 has a circumferential part 61a and a flat part 61b, and has a D-cut shape when viewed from the axial direction (see FIG. 24). On the outer circumference of the rotating shaft 61, the circumferential part 61a is formed as a curved surface without unevenness, and the flat part 61b is formed as a flat surface without unevenness. Hereinafter, the term "axial direction" means the axial direction of the rotating shaft 61, and the term "radial direction" means the radial direction of the rotating shaft 61. The axial direction is a direction along the X-axis direction. Hereinafter, the "intersecting direction intersecting the axial direction" means a direction intersecting the axial direction of the rotating shaft 61.

As illustrated in FIGS. 17, 18, and 26, a fitting hole 61c penetrating the rotating shaft 61 in the radial direction is formed in the rotating shaft 61. A boss 63a is formed in a case part 62 forming the second paddle unit 60.

As illustrated in FIGS. 19 and 20, the second paddle unit 60 includes a blade part 70 and the case part 62. The blade part 70 includes a contact part 70b that comes into contact with the medium P. The case part 62 includes a main body part 63 that holds the blade part 70, and a lid part 64 that can be open and close in relation to the main body part 63.

In the case part 62 according to the present embodiment, the main body part 63 and the lid part 64 are integrally formed of a resin material. As illustrated in FIG. 22, the main body part 63 and the lid part 64 are coupled by a coupling part 63b. The coupling part 63b is elastically deformable and functions as a hinge when the lid part 64 opens and closes in relation to the main body part 63.

The main body part 63 is provided with an insertion hole 63e in which the contact part 70b of the blade part 70 is inserted. The direction of insertion the contact part 70b into the insertion hole 63e is an intersecting direction intersecting the axial direction.

In the main body part 63, a shaft fitting part 63d that is fitted to the circumferential part 61a of the rotating shaft 61 is formed. At the shaft fitting part 63d, the boss 63a to be fitted into the fitting hole 61c (see FIGS. 17 and 18) of the rotating shaft 61 is formed.

In the main body part 63, a recessed part 63c is formed so as to be recessed in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 61. A protruding part 70c (see FIGS. 20 and 23) of the blade part 70 can be fitted into the recessed part 63c. The fitting between the recessed part 63c and the protruding part 70c will be described later.

As illustrated in FIGS. 21 and 24, an engaged part 63f is formed in the main body part 63. A hook-shaped engaging part 64b is formed in the lid part 64. When the lid part 64 closes, the engaging part 64b engages with the engaged part 63f and thus the lid part 64 can be brought into the state of being closed by a snap-fit method. As illustrated in FIGS. 19, 20, and 24, a release operation part 64a is formed in the lid part 64. When the release operation part 64a is pressed in the direction of an arrow Rj1 in FIG. 24, the engaging part 64b moves in the direction of an arrow Rj2 and therefore the engagement between the engaging part 64b and the engaged part 63f can be released and the lid part 64 can be opened.

As illustrated in FIGS. 20 to 22, 24, and 25, two shaft holding parts 64c are provided in the lid part 64. In the present embodiment, the shaft holding part 64c is rib-shaped and is formed to extend in the axial direction.

The two shaft holding parts 64c function to hold the flat part 61b of the rotating shaft 61 from both sides when viewed from the axial direction as illustrated in FIG. 24 when the lid part 64 is closed. When the lid part 64 is closed, the flat part 61b of the rotating shaft 61 faces the inner surface of the lid part 64 between the two shaft holding parts 64c, and the circumferential part 61a of the rotating shaft 61 is in close contact with the shaft fitting part 63d. As the lid part 64 closes in this manner, the lid part 64 functions as a rotation stopper of the case part 62 in relation to the rotating shaft 61. Thus, when the rotating shaft 61 rotates, the lid part 64 receives a torque from the rotating shaft 61.

Even when an attempt to attach the case part 62 such that the flat part 61b and the shaft fitting part 63d face each other is made as a wrong form of attachment, the lid part 64 does not close and therefore the wrong form of attachment as described above is prevented.

As illustrated in FIG. 23, the blade part 70 includes a base end part 70a and a contact part 70b. The contact part 70b extends from the base end part 70a so as to form an angle in relation to the radial direction.

In the present embodiment, three contact parts 70b are formed at equal intervals along the direction of rotation. However, the positions where the contact parts 70b are formed and the number of the contact parts 70b are not limited thereto. The contact part 70b comes into contact with the medium P with elastic deformation and applies a conveying force to the medium P.

The blade part 70 can be formed of an elastically deformable material such as rubber or elastomer. In the present embodiment, the base end part 70a and the plurality of contact parts 70b are integrally formed. However, for example, the base end part 70a and the contact part 70b may be formed by composite molding with different materials. Also, the blade part 70 and the main body part 63 may be integrally formed by two-color molding.

In the present embodiment, three contact parts 70b are provided, but the number of contact parts 70b may be one or two, or may be four or more.

As illustrated in FIG. 24, the base end part 70a has a shape that clamps the circumferential part 61a of the rotating shaft 61.

As a procedure of attaching the second paddle unit 60 having the above configuration to the rotating shaft 61, the case part 62 in the state where the lid part 64 is opened is fitted to the rotating shaft 61. At this time, as illustrated in FIG. 18, the boss 63a is fitted into the fitting hole 61c. In this state, since the base end part 70a of the blade part 70 clamps the rotating shaft 61, the second paddle unit 60 is unlikely to fall even when the hand is released.

When the lid part 64 is closed in relation to the main body part 63, the lid part 64 is fixed in a snap-fit manner. Thus, the second paddle unit 60 can be attached to the rotating shaft 61 without using a tool. To detach the second paddle unit 60 from the rotating shaft 61, the release operation part 64a is pressed to release the snap-fit fixing and the lid part 64 is opened, as described above, and the second paddle unit 60 can thus be detached. That is, the second paddle unit 60 can be detached from the rotating shaft 61 without using a tool.

As described above, the insertion hole 63e in which the contact part 70b is inserted in the intersecting direction intersecting the axial direction is provided in the main body part 63. The case part 62 is attached to the rotating shaft 61, when the main body part 63 and the lid part 64 engage with each other and the lid part 64 closes.

Thus, a tool is not required in the work of attaching the second paddle unit 60 and the work of replacing the second paddle unit 60 is facilitated.

For example, even when the periphery of the second paddle unit 60 is narrow at the time of performing the work of attaching and detaching the second paddle unit 60, the work of attaching and detaching the second paddle unit 60 can be easily performed, and the work of attaching and detaching the second paddle unit 60 can be performed with one hand.

Also, in the present embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 16, the coupling part 63b functioning as a hinge is on the front side when viewed from the operator at the time of the work of attaching and detaching the second paddle unit 60. Thus, the work of attaching and detaching the second paddle unit 60 is easier than in a configuration in which the coupling part 63b is on the back side when viewed from the operator.

Also, since the main body part 63 is provided with the insertion hole 63e in which the blade part 70 (contact part 70b) is inserted in the intersecting direction intersecting the axial direction, the contact part 70b can be prevented from coming off the case part 62 in the axial direction.

Also, since the case part 62 is fixed to the rotating shaft 61 after the blade part 70 (contact part 70b) is inserted into the insertion hole 63e in the axial direction, even in a state where the blade part 70 (contact part 70b) is not completely inserted in the insertion hole 63e, the blade part 70 (contact part 70b) is appropriately inserted into the insertion hole 63e by attaching the case part 62 with the blade part 70 attached thereto to the rotating shaft 61.

Also, even when the rigidity of the contact part 70b is low, the contact part 70b can be appropriately inserted into the insertion hole 63e by pulling the distal end of the contact part 70b exiting the insertion hole 63e.

In the present embodiment, the base end part 70a of the blade part 70 is sandwiched and held between the rotating shaft 61 and the case part 62 as the lid closes in relation to the main body part 63 as illustrated in FIG. 24. Thus, the blade part 70 can be prevented from falling off from the case part 62.

In the present embodiment, the lid part 64 includes the engaging part 64b that engages with the main body part 63. As illustrated in FIG. 24, a part Mp, which is a part of the blade part 70, is sandwiched and held between the engaging part 64b and the rotating shaft 61 as the lid part 64 closes in relation to the main body part 63. Thus, the blade part 70 can be prevented from falling off from the case part 62.

In the present embodiment, the base end part 70a of the blade part 70 clamps the rotating shaft 61 as illustrated in FIG. 24. That is, the base end part 70a functions as a clamping part that clamps the rotating shaft 61. Thus, the positional deviation of the blade part 70 in relation to the rotating shaft 61 can be suppressed. Also, at the time of temporary fixing before the lid part 64 is closed, as shown in FIG. 18, the second paddle unit 60 is less likely to fall off from the rotating shaft 61, and the workability of attachment and detachment is improved.

The base end part 70a may be formed larger or smaller than the accommodation region of the main body part 63 so as to be pressed and deformed by the lid part 64 when the lid part 64 is closed.

Also, as illustrated in FIG. 26, when a direction from the center of the rotating shaft 61 toward outside in the intersecting direction intersecting the axial direction is defined as a first direction Q1, the main body part 63 includes a restriction part 63g that restricts the displacement of the contact part 70b in the first direction Q1 as illustrated in FIG. 26.

A recessed part 70e is formed in the blade part 70 so as to narrow the width of the contact part 70g in the axial direction (see also FIG. 23), and the displacement of the contact part 70b in the first direction Q1 is restricted by the restriction part 63g entering the recessed part 70e. Thus, the contact part 70b can be prevented from coming off the main body part 63 in the first direction Q1.

In the present embodiment, the blade part 70 has the plurality of contact parts 70b and the base end part 70a coupling the plurality of contact parts 70b, the plurality of insertion holes 63e are provided corresponding to the plurality of contact parts 70b, and the base end part 70a is held by the main body part 63. With such a structure, the blade part 70 is more reliably held in relation to the case part 62.

Next, the fitting between the recessed part 63c of the main body part 63 and the protruding part 70c of the blade part 70 illustrated in FIG. 20 will be described.

The contact part 70b extends at an angle in relation to the radial direction, and when the contact part 70b is inserted into the insertion hole 63e in a wrong direction, that is, when the blade part 70 is attached in a wrong direction in relation to the main body part 63, there is a concern that the medium P cannot be appropriately conveyed.

When the blade part 70 is attached to the main body part 63 in the correct direction, the recessed part 63c of the main body part 63 and the protruding part 70c of the blade part 70 are fitted to each other, the base end part 70a does not protrude from the main body part 63, and the base end part 70a is appropriately accommodated in the main body part 63, as illustrated in FIG. 20.

However, when the blade part 70 is attached to the main body part 63 in a wrong direction, the base end part 70a is not appropriately accommodated in the main body part 63, the base end part 70a protrudes from the main body part 63, and the lid part 64 cannot be correctly closed. That is, when the contact part 70b is inserted into the insertion hole 63e in a wrong direction, the blade part 70 interferes with the engagement between the lid part 64 and the main body part 63. Thus, the contact part 70b can be prevented from being inserted and assembled into the insertion hole 63e in a wrong direction.

When the second paddle unit 60 pulls back the medium P in the -A direction, the second paddle unit 60 rotates in a direction of rotation Mr2 in FIG. 24. When the second paddle unit 60 pulls back the medium P in the -A direction, the rotating shaft 61 rotates in the direction of rotation Mr2 in FIG. 24. As described with reference to FIG. 24, the lid part 64 receives a torque from the rotating shaft 61, and the direction of this torque is the direction of rotation Mr2 in FIG. 24. This torque is a torque in a direction in which the lid part 64 rotates in a direction such that the engaging part 64b approaches the engaged part 63f. Also, as the contact part 70b receives a reaction force from the medium P, a torque in the direction of rotation Mr1 is applied to the main body part 63. This torque is a torque in a direction in which the main body part 63 rotates in a direction such that the engaged part 63f approaches the engaging part 64b. That is, the torque received by the lid part 64 from the rotating shaft 61 and the torque applied to the main body part 63 by the contact part 70b receiving the reaction force from the medium P are opposite in direction. Thus, the engagement between the engaging part 64b and the engaged part 63f is strengthened, and the case part 62 is prevented from falling off from the rotating shaft 61.

The rotating shaft 61 has the fitting hole 61c (FIG. 17) as a positioning part for determining the position of the case part 62 in the axial direction. Thus, the work of positioning the case part 62 in relation to the rotating shaft 61 is unnecessary and the assembly work is facilitated.

The boss 63a fitted into the fitting hole 61c is provided at a position lopsided in the axial direction as illustrated in FIG. 20 in the main body part 63, and the fitting hole 61c is provided at a position corresponding to the boss 63a. When an attempt to attach the second paddle unit 60 in the +X direction illustrated in FIG. 18 in the reverse direction is made, the second paddle unit 60 interferes with an E-ring 65. When an attempt to attach the second paddle unit 60 in the -X direction illustrated in FIG. 18 in the reverse direction is made, the second paddle unit 60 interferes with the feeding roller 46. In this way, with a configuration in which the second paddle unit 60 interferes with another element when an attempt to attach the second paddle unit 60 in the reverse direction is made, the second paddle unit 60 is prevented from being attached in a wrong direction.

Next, another embodiment of the second paddle unit will be described with reference to FIGS. 27 and 28. Note that in the another embodiment, the same components as the components already described above are denoted by the same reference signs, and a repeated description thereof will be avoided in the description below.

In the above-described second paddle unit 60, the engaged part 63f is formed in the main body part 63, and the engaging part 64b is formed in the lid part 64. The engaging part is a part that moves in relation to the engaged part in response to an operation by the operator. In a second paddle unit 60A shown in FIG. 27 and a second paddle unit 60B shown in FIG. 28, in contrast to the above-described second paddle unit 60, an engaging part is formed in the main body part, and an engaged part is formed in the lid part.

The second paddle unit 60A shown in FIG. 27 includes a case part 62A including a main body part 63A and a lid part 64A. In the main body part 63A, a release operation part 63m and an engaging part 63k are formed. An engaged part 64k is formed in the lid part 64A.

When the lid part 64A closes, the engaging part 63k engages with the engaged part 64k, and the lid part 64A is thus closed. When the release operation part 63m is pressed in the direction of an arrow Rj2 in FIG. 27, the engaging part 63k moves in the direction of the arrow Rj2 and therefore the engagement between the engaging part 63m and the engaged part 64k can be released and the lid part 64A can be opened.

The second paddle unit 60B shown in FIG. 28 includes a case part 62B including a main body part 63B and a lid part 64B. In the main body part 63B, a release operation part 63m and an engaging part 63k are formed. An engaged part 64k is formed in the lid part 64B.

When the lid part 64B closes, the engaging part 63k engages with the engaged part 64k, and the lid part 64B is thus closed. When the release operation part 63m is pressed in the direction of an arrow Rj2 in FIG. 28, the engaging part 63k moves in the direction of the arrow Rj2 and therefore the engagement between the engaging part 63m and the engaged part 64k can be released and the lid part 64B can be opened.

Next, still another embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 29, 30, and 31. A blade part 70A of a second paddle unit 60C illustrated in FIG. 29 includes a plurality of contact parts 70b1. Each of the plurality of contact parts 70b1 is configured as an independent member. A reference sign 71 denotes a contact member that is an independent member and forms the contact part 70b1.

As illustrated in FIG. 31, the contact member 71 includes a contact part 70b1 and a base end part 70a1. The base end part 70a1 is held by the main body part 63 of the case part 62.

As described above, since each of the plurality of contact parts 70b1 is configured as an independent member, the work of inserting the contact part 70b1 into the insertion hole 63e is facilitated.

Also, in the present embodiment, the base end part 70a1 has a protruding part 70d that is a part held between the rotating shaft 61 and another base end part 70a1 adjacent thereto in a state of being held by the main body part 63. Thus, the contact part 70b1, that is, the contact member 71, is more reliably held by the main body part 63.

In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 30, the protruding part 70d protrudes so as to close the insertion hole 63e which the another adjacent contact part 70b1 enters. Thus, the contact parts 70b1 can be prevented from being inserted into the insertion hole 63e in a wrong insertion order.

In this embodiment, the correction insertion order is to first insert the rightmost contact part 70b1 (contact member 71), of the three contact parts 70b1 shown in FIG. 29, then insert the contact part 70b1 (contact member 71) in the middle, and lastly insert the leftmost contact part 70b1 (contact member 71). However, in the example of FIG. 30, the contact part 70b1 is first inserted in the insertion hole 63e located on the leftmost side. In this state, even when an attempt to insert the contact part 70b1 next into the insertion hole 63e located in the middle is made, the contact part 70b1 cannot be inserted into the insertion hole 63e in the middle because the protruding part 70d of the contact member 71 that is inserted first protrudes to close the insertion hole 63e in the middle.

The protruding part 70d may close at least a part of the insertion hole 63e and may not necessarily need to close the entire insertion hole 63e, but may close the entire insertion hole 63e. As illustrated in FIG. 30, the protruding part 70d may close the insertion hole 63e in a state of being spaced apart from the insertion hole 63e.

Also, when the contact part 70b1 is inserted into the insertion hole 63e in a wrong direction, the contact part 70b1 interferes with the engagement between the lid part 64 and the main body part 63. In FIG. 30, a two-dot chain line denoted by a reference sign 70b1-1 indicates a contact part inserted into the insertion hole 63e in a wrong direction, and the contact part 70b1-1 interferes with the engagement between the lid part 64 and the main body part 63. Thus, the contact part 70b1 can be prevented from being inserted and assembled into the insertion hole 63e in a wrong direction.

As a matter of course, the above-described configuration of the second paddle unit 60 may be applied to the first paddle unit 48.

The blade part 70A of the second paddle unit 60C may be combined with the case part of the second paddle unit 60A and the case part of the second paddle unit 60B.

The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the disclosure described in the claims, and as a matter of course, these modifications are included within the scope of the present disclosure.