Recording apparatus

Abstract

A printer includes a lower tray and an upper tray disposed above the lower tray. An optical sensor which detects the presence or absence of a sheet is disposed above the upper tray. The upper tray is disposed to be slidable. A sliding operation of the upper tray enables modes to be switched over between a mode where the optical sensor opposes the upper tray and a mode where the optical sensor opposes the lower tray. One sensor can detect the presence or absence of the sheet in multiple trays.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A recording apparatus comprising:
 a recording unit that performs recording on a medium;   multiple medium accommodation units that accommodate the medium; and   a medium detection unit that detects the presence or absence of the medium inside the medium accommodation units,   wherein out of the multiple medium accommodation units, the recording apparatus detects the presence or absence of the medium inside the medium accommodation unit which performs recording.   
     
     
         2 . A recording apparatus comprising:
 a recording unit that performs recording on a medium;   multiple medium accommodation units that accommodate the medium; and   a medium detection unit that detects the presence or absence of the medium inside the medium accommodation units,   wherein out of the multiple medium accommodation units, the recording apparatus detects the presence or absence of the medium inside the medium accommodation unit which does not feed the medium.   
     
     
         3 . A recording apparatus comprising:
 a recording unit that performs recording on a medium;   multiple medium accommodation units that accommodate the medium; and   a medium detection unit that detects the presence or absence of the medium inside the medium accommodation units,   wherein out of the multiple medium accommodation units, at least two medium accommodation units share the medium detection unit.   
     
     
         4 . The recording apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the medium detection unit is disposed in a region where the multiple medium accommodation units are overlapped with one another.   
     
     
         5 . The recording apparatus according to  claim 2 ,
 wherein the medium detection unit is disposed in a region where the multiple medium accommodation units are overlapped with one another.   
     
     
         6 . The recording apparatus according to  claim 3 ,
 wherein the medium detection unit is disposed in a region where the multiple medium accommodation units are overlapped with one another.   
     
     
         7 . The recording apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the multiple medium accommodation units are configured to include at least a lower medium accommodation unit and an upper medium accommodation unit which is positioned above the lower medium accommodation unit, and the upper medium accommodation unit can perform a sliding operation with respect to the lower medium accommodation unit,   wherein the medium detection unit is arranged above the lower medium accommodation unit and the upper medium accommodation unit, and   wherein the sliding operation of the upper medium accommodation unit switches the medium accommodation units one to another which opposes the medium detection unit.   
     
     
         8 . The recording apparatus according to  claim 2 ,
 wherein the multiple medium accommodation units are configured to include at least a lower medium accommodation unit and an upper medium accommodation unit which is positioned above the lower medium accommodation unit, and the upper medium accommodation unit can perform a sliding operation with respect to the lower medium accommodation unit,   wherein the medium detection unit is arranged above the lower medium accommodation unit and the upper medium accommodation unit, and   wherein the sliding operation of the upper medium accommodation unit switches the medium accommodation units one to another which opposes the medium detection unit.   
     
     
         9 . The recording apparatus according to  claim 3 ,
 wherein the multiple medium accommodation units are configured to include at least a lower medium accommodation unit and an upper medium accommodation unit which is positioned above the lower medium accommodation unit, and the upper medium accommodation unit can perform a sliding operation with respect to the lower medium accommodation unit,   wherein the medium detection unit is arranged above the lower medium accommodation unit and the upper medium accommodation unit, and   wherein the sliding operation of the upper medium accommodation unit switches the medium accommodation units one to another which opposes the medium detection unit.   
     
     
         10 . The recording apparatus according to  claim 4 ,
 wherein the multiple medium accommodation units are configured to include at least a lower medium accommodation unit and an upper medium accommodation unit which is positioned above the lower medium accommodation unit, and the upper medium accommodation unit can perform a sliding operation with respect to the lower medium accommodation unit,   wherein the medium detection unit is arranged above the lower medium accommodation unit and the upper medium accommodation unit, and   wherein the sliding operation of the upper medium accommodation unit switches the medium accommodation units one to another which opposes the medium detection unit.   
     
     
         11 . The recording apparatus according to  claim 7 ,
 wherein the medium detection unit is disposed in a feeding member which can swing above the multiple medium accommodation units.   
     
     
         12 . The recording apparatus according to  claim 8 ,
 wherein the medium detection unit is configured to have an optical sensor that includes a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit which oppose the medium accommodated in the medium accommodation unit, and   wherein an angle α 1  formed between an optical axis of light emitted from the light emitting unit and the medium when the light emitting unit opposes the medium accommodated in the lower medium accommodation unit is closer to a right angle than an angle α 2  formed between the optical axis and the medium when the light emitting unit opposes the medium accommodated in the upper medium accommodation unit.   
     
     
         13 . The recording apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein a guide member is provided which forms a medium transport route for transporting the medium, and   wherein the medium detection unit is disposed in the guide member.   
     
     
         14 . The recording apparatus according to  claim 3 ,
 wherein a guide member is provided which forms a medium transport route for transporting the medium, and   wherein the medium detection unit is disposed in the guide member.   
     
     
         15 . The recording apparatus according to  claim 4 ,
 wherein a guide member is provided which forms a medium transport route for transporting the medium, and   wherein the medium detection unit is disposed in the guide member.   
     
     
         16 . The recording apparatus according to  claim 6 ,
 wherein a guide member is provided which forms a medium transport route for transporting the medium, and   wherein the medium detection unit is disposed in the guide member.   
     
     
         17 . The recording apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein a partition member which partitions an internal space of the recording apparatus is disposed above an accommodation region for the multiple medium accommodation units, and   wherein the medium detection unit is disposed in the partition member.   
     
     
         18 . The recording apparatus according to  claim 3 ,
 wherein a partition member which partitions an internal space of the recording apparatus is disposed above an accommodation region for the multiple medium accommodation units, and   wherein the medium detection unit is disposed in the partition member.   
     
     
         19 . The recording apparatus according to  claim 4 ,
 wherein a partition member which partitions an internal space of the recording apparatus is disposed above an accommodation region for the multiple medium accommodation units, and   wherein the medium detection unit is disposed in the partition member.   
     
     
         20 . The recording apparatus according to  claim 6 ,
 wherein a partition member which partitions an internal space of the recording apparatus is disposed above an accommodation region for the multiple medium accommodation units, and   wherein the medium detection unit is disposed in the partition member.