Plotter pinch roller mechanism

A plotter pinch roller mechanism comprising:

• a rail extending above a work stage, to which a sheet-shaped medium is conveyed, in a first direction which intersects with a conveyance direction of the medium and which is parallel to a horizontal direction;
• a slider supported by the rail and movable in the first direction while the rail is passing through the slider;
• a roller support member configured to move in an up-down direction while being supported by the slider;
• a pinch roller which is supported by the roller support member rotatably about an axis in the first direction;
• a spring which is arranged between the slider and the roller support member and which is configured to bias the roller support member downward;
• and
• a pressing release mechanism which includes an operating lever swingably supported by the slider and which is configured to push the roller support member upwards against a spring force of the spring by an operating force applied to the operating lever, wherein
• the slider includes a window that exposes the pinch roller diagonally upward on the upstream side in the conveyance direction, wherein
• the roller support member is formed to extend in the conveyance direction, includes a first end and a second end opposite each other in the conveyance direction, and is supported by the slider swingably in the up-down direction in an intermediate part in the conveyance direction,
• the pinch roller is supported by the first end of the roller support member,
• the spring is configured to bias the first end of the roller support member downward, and
• the operating lever includes a pressing portion configured to press the second end of the roller support member downward, and wherein
• the first end of the roller support member is positioned downstream of the second end in the conveyance direction,
• the operating lever includes a gripping portion extending in the first direction, and a pair of lever portions extending from both ends of the gripping portion in a second direction substantially orthogonal to the first direction,
• the operating lever is swingable between a retracted position and an operating position,
• the retracted position is a position in which the operating lever overlaps an upper end of the slider while the pair of lever portions is positioned on two sides of the window,
• the operating position is a position in which the operating lever is lifted about a pivoted end of the pair of lever portions such that the gripping part is spaced apart from the slider, and
• the pressing portion is provided on the pivoted end of the pair of lever portions and is configured to press the second end of the roller support member downwards while the operating lever is lifted to be in the operating position.