JP2001063164A - Cutting plotter - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate control of the setting or the cutting depth of an object to be cut while reducing noise by providing a body for mounting the object to be cut, a cutter having an edge part for cutting the object to be cut, and a moving means for holding the cutter arranged to vary the height of the edge part continuously. SOLUTION: A holder 15a constituting a cutter 15 is inserted into a hole made in the central part 35, a flange section 17 constituting the cutter 15 is secured to the upper surface of the central part 35, and a movable body 32 constituting a moving means 30 holds the cutter 15. Holes are made at appropriate positions of left parts 33, 34 and a part 38 is formed to project from the movable body 32. The cutter 15 can be set at an arbitrary position by applying a positive or negative voltage to a motor 40 and controlling the applying time. The moving means 30 is arranged to vary the height of an edge part 27 constituting the cutter 15 continuously. More specifically, the moving means 30 adjusts the distance between the surface of an object 11 to be cut and the forward end of the edge part 27 finely.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a cutting plotter.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, this type of apparatus is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-183081. According to this publication, paper is placed on a placing portion by a user. An arm is provided above the mounting portion, and is configured to be movable in the vertical direction of the paper. A print head and a cutter are provided on the arm, and are configured to be movable in the lateral direction of the paper.

[0003] The print head makes a predetermined print on the paper while moving in the horizontal and vertical directions of the paper. Thereafter, the cutter cuts the paper into a predetermined shape while moving in the horizontal and vertical directions of the paper.

[0004]

As described above, in the conventional apparatus, the user sets the paper on the mounting portion one by one (by arranging the papers).
There is a first disadvantage that the positioning) is troublesome. In order to solve this drawback, the present inventor has provided a conveying means for conveying the paper in the vertical direction and a feeding means for moving the cutter in the horizontal direction. Then, while inserting the blade portion of the cutter into the paper and moving it in the horizontal direction, the paper was moved in the vertical direction, and an attempt was made to cut the paper.

[0005] However, this device has a second drawback in that noise is high when cutting. The present inventor has investigated the cause, and when the cutter is moved downward during cutting, the cutter is driven by the solenoid. (The member on which the paper is placed). Further, in the above device, the cutter is set at two positions, that is, a lower position (inserted into paper) and an upper position (away from paper) depending on whether or not a voltage is applied to the solenoid. As described above, since the height of the cutter cannot be finely adjusted, there is a third disadvantage that the depth of cut of the paper by the cutter cannot be controlled.

Therefore, the present invention takes into account such conventional drawbacks and makes it easy to set an object to be cut (paper or the like), easily control the cutting depth of the object to be cut, and reduce noise during cutting. Provided cutting plotter.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cutter having a mounting member on which an object to be cut is mounted, and a blade for cutting the object. When,
Moving means for holding the cutter, wherein the moving means is configured to continuously change the height of the blade portion.

According to the present invention, there is provided a conveying means for conveying the object to be cut in a first direction, and a feeding means for moving the moving means in a second direction substantially orthogonal to the first direction. The cutting object is cut in a predetermined shape by moving the cutting object in the first direction while inserting the blade portion into the cutting object and moving in the second direction.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the moving means includes:
A fixed body, a movable body, a motor, and a screw body, wherein the movable body holds the cutter and is provided on the fixed body so as to be vertically slidable, and the screw body is fixed to a shaft of the motor. And screwed to the movable body.

According to the present invention, a projection protruding from the movable body is provided, and the projection is engaged with a groove of the screw body.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the moving means includes:
A fixed body, a movable body, a motor, a pulley, and a belt, the movable body holds the cutter, and is provided slidably on the fixed body, the pulley is attached to the shaft of the motor The belt is fixed, and one end and the other end of the belt are fixed to one end and the other end of the movable body, respectively, and a central portion of the belt is configured to obtain a driving force by contacting the pulley.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A cutting plotter 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 is a perspective view of the cutting plotter 1, FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a main part of the cutting plotter 1, FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a cutter used in the cutting plotter 1, and FIG.
FIG. 5 is a front view of a moving unit used when the cutting plotter 1 is used (when the cutter is located at an upper position). FIG. 5 is a front view of the moving unit (when the cutter is at a half-cut position).
FIG. 6 is a front view of the moving means (when the cutter is at the full cut position), and FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the cutting plotter 1.

In these figures, the main body 2 comprises, for example, a left body 3, a right body 4, an upper body 5, a lower body 6, and the like. The left body 3 and the right body 4 are both formed in a box shape, for example. The upper body 5 is configured to fix the left body 3 and the right body 4 located apart from each other. Lower body 6
Is configured to fix the left body 3 and the right body 4.

The paper discharge tray 7 is formed, for example, in a substantially concave shape whose upper part is open, and is detachably attached to the front side of the lower body 6. Similarly, the paper feed tray 8 is also formed, for example, in a substantially concave shape with an open top, and is detachably attached to the rear surface of the lower body 6.

The carriage 9 is made of, for example, plastic and is formed in a substantially concave shape having an open upper portion. A bearing is formed on the rear side of the carriage 9, and the shaft 10 is inserted into the bearing. Each end of the shaft 10 is a left body 3
And is fixed to the right body 4.

A drive belt (not shown) is formed in a loop shape and is provided so as to be substantially parallel to the shaft 10, and a gear (not shown) is provided in mesh with the internal teeth of the drive belt. . A shaft of a carriage motor (not shown) is inserted and fixed in a hole formed in the gear.

An appropriate position on the rear side of the carriage 9 is fixed to a drive belt, and the carriage 9 moves in the main scanning direction (B direction) by rotation of the carriage motor. As described above, the feeding means 12 is constituted by the carriage 9, the shaft 10, the driving belt, the gears, the carriage motor, and the like.

The container 13 is formed in a box shape, for example, and is fixed to the carriage 9. Four ink tanks (not shown) are arranged in the container 13. Each of the four ink tanks is filled with, for example, black ink, yellow ink, magenta ink, and cyan ink.

The print heads 14a, 14b, 14c, 14
d is a rectangular parallelepiped, for example, and is located apart from each other in the main scanning direction. Each print head 14a to 14d
Each has, for example, 64 orifices (not shown) formed along the sub-scanning direction (the direction orthogonal to the long axis of the axis 10). A piezoelectric element (not shown) is provided on each side wall in the middle of each orifice, the tip of each orifice is narrowed, and each inlet portion (a total of four) is provided for every 64 orifices. Each of the four inlets is connected to a black ink tank, a yellow ink tank, a magenta ink tank, and a cyan ink tank via tubes.

The print heads 14a to 14d are fixed to the lower part of the container 13, and an opening is formed on the bottom surface of the carriage 9. From each orifice provided in the print heads 14a to 14d, the ink is appropriately discharged through the upper opening onto the object (for example, paper) 11 to be cut.

In the cutter 15, the upper holder 16 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape having a flange portion 17 on an upper portion (see FIG. 3). The lower holder 18 is formed in a concave shape open upward, has a hole 19 formed in the lower part, and is screwed to the upper holder 16.

The middle holder 20 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, is sealed with an inner surface of the upper holder 16 by an O-ring 21, and is screwed to the upper holder 16. These upper holders 16
The holder 15a is constituted by the middle holder 20 and the lower holder 18. The pressing pin 22 is fixed to the inner surface of the middle holder 20 by a spring pin 23.

The magnet 24 is disposed in contact with the bottom surface of the pressing pin 22, and the pivot bearing 25 is disposed in contact with the bottom surface of the magnet 24. The shaft 26 has an upper end formed at an acute angle and a lower end formed with a blade 27. The upper end of the shaft 26 is inserted into the pivot bearing 25.

A hole 28 is formed near the lower end of the upper holder 16. The bearing 29 is fixed in the hole 28. The vicinity of the lower end of the shaft portion 29 is inserted into the bearing 29. The blade portion 27 penetrates the hole 19 of the lower holder 18 and protrudes from the bottom surface of the lower holder 18 by a predetermined distance.

As described above, the shaft portion 26 is configured to freely rotate in the circumferential direction (D1D2 direction) by being inserted into the pivot bearing 25 at the upper end and being inserted into the bearing 29 near the lower end. Have been. As a result, the cutting edge of the blade portion 27 is configured to advance along the cut line of the printing medium 11 and cut. Also, the middle holder 20 is placed on the upper holder 1.
By turning the screw 6 by an appropriate amount, the protrusion amount of the blade portion 27 can be easily adjusted.

Next, the moving means 30 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 4, the fixed body 31 is formed in a box shape, for example,
A through hole is formed on each of the top and bottom surfaces. The fixed body 31 is fixed to the carriage 9 (not shown in FIG. 4).

The movable body 32 includes, for example, left portions 33 and 34,
It is composed of a central portion 35 connected thereto, right portions 36 and 37 connected to the central portion 35, a projection 38 connected to the central portion 35, and the like. The right portions 36 and 37 are formed in a substantially inverted U shape, and are guided by a guide 39 fixed to the fixed body 31.

The holder 15a constituting the cutter 15 is inserted into a hole formed in the central portion 35, and the flange portion 17 constituting the cutter 15 is fixed to the upper surface of the central portion 35. As described above, the movable body 32 constituting the moving means 30 holds the cutter 15. In the right place of the left part 33, 34,
A hole is formed. The protrusion 38 is formed to protrude from the movable body 32.

The motor 40 is fixed, for example, on the upper surface of the fixed body 31. The screw body 41 is, for example, a threaded shaft, and is fixed to the shaft 42 of the motor 40. Further, the screw body 41 may be formed integrally with the shaft 42 as necessary.

The vicinity of the upper end and the vicinity of the lower end of the screw body 41 are respectively
It is inserted and guided in the holes of the left part 33 and the left part 34. The projection 38 is engaged with one thread of the screw body 41 and one groove formed between adjacent threads.

The above configuration can be summarized as follows.
Is composed of a fixed body 31, a movable body 32, a motor 40, a screw body 41 and the like. The movable body 32 is the cutter 15
And is slidably provided in the vertical direction (in the direction of C1C2) with respect to the fixed body 31. The screw body 41 is a motor 40
The projection 3 fixed to the shaft 42 of the
8 is screwed.

In this configuration, when a positive voltage is applied to the motor 40, the shaft 42 and the screw body 41 rotate clockwise. The protrusion 38 that engages with the screw body 41 moves upward (in the C1 direction). As a result, the movable body 32 having the protruding portion 38 and the cutter 15 held by the movable body 32 move upward (C
(1 direction). When the application of the voltage to the motor 40 is stopped, the movable body 32 and the cutter 15 stop at an arbitrary position.

Similarly, when a negative voltage is applied to the motor 40, the shaft 42 and the screw body 41 rotate counterclockwise.
The protrusion 38 that engages with the screw body 41 moves downward (in the direction C2). As a result, the cutter 15 moves downward (C2 direction). When the motor 40 is stopped, the cutter 15 stops at an arbitrary position.

As described above, the cutter 15 can be set at an arbitrary position by applying a positive voltage or a negative voltage to the motor 40 and controlling the application time. Further, a sensor (not shown) for detecting the position of the bottom surface of the holder 15a constituting the cutter 15 may be provided, and the application condition of the motor 40 may be controlled by the output of the sensor.

As described above, the moving means 30 includes the cutter 15
The height of the blade portion 27 is continuously changed. That is, the moving unit 30 finely adjusts the distance between the surface of the object 11 and the tip of the blade 27.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the drive roller 43 is formed in a long cylindrical shape, and is provided below an opening 44 provided at an appropriate position of the lower body 6. The shaft provided on the drive roller 43 is inserted and fixed in a hole of a first gear (both not shown). The shaft of the transport motor is inserted and fixed in a hole of a second gear (both not shown). The first gear and the second gear are arranged so as to mesh with each other.

The opposing roller 45 is formed in a long cylindrical shape, and is provided above the opening 44. The driving unit 43 is configured by the driving roller 43, the first gear, the second gear, the conveying motor, the opposing roller 45, and the like.

As described above, when the carrying motor of the carrying means 46 is energized, the driving roller 43 rotates. As a result, the workpiece 11 sandwiched between the drive roller 43 and the opposing roller 45
Is transported in the first direction (A direction) and moves forward. That is, a transport unit 46 for transporting the workpiece 11 is provided, and the workpiece 11 is transported by the transport unit 46 while the cutter 15
Is cut by

Print heads 14a to 14d and cutter 1
A substantially flat mounting body 44 is formed at an appropriate position of the lower body 6 so as to be located below the lower body 5. The mounting body 47 is the object 1 to be cut.
1 is to be placed.

As described above, the feeding means 12 includes the carriage 9, the shaft 10, the drive belt, the gears, the carriage motor, and the like. And cutter 1
The moving means 30 holding 5 is fixed to the carriage 9. In this configuration, by applying a predetermined voltage to the carriage motor, the carriage motor rotates, the drive belt moves, and the carriage moves in a second direction B substantially orthogonal to the first direction A. As a result, the moving means 30 holding the cutter 15 moves in the second direction B.

In summary, the transport means 46 for transporting the workpiece 11 in the first direction A and the feeding means 12 for moving the moving means 30 in the second direction B substantially perpendicular to the first direction A are as follows. Provided. The motor 4 of the moving means 30
By energizing 0, the blade portion 27 of the cutter 15 is inserted into the object 11 and the object 11 is moved in the first direction A while moving the blade portion 27 in the second direction B.
The object 11 can be cut in a predetermined shape.

Next, the electrical configuration of the cutting plotter 1 will be described mainly with reference to the block diagram of FIG. Control unit 4
Reference numeral 8 includes, for example, a microcomputer. The paper sensor 49 is disposed behind the print heads 14a to 14d,
This is for detecting the tip of the object 11 to be cut. Operation unit 50
Is provided with, for example, a power switch. When the user presses the power switch, a print command signal is input to the control unit 48, and a disconnection command signal is input to the control unit 48.

The memory 51 comprises, for example, a RAM for storing print data and cut data. The personal computer 52 is connected to the control unit 48 via the interface 53. The CD-ROM 54 is provided on a personal computer 5 as necessary.
2 is attached. The control unit 48 controls the paper sensor 49
, Operation unit 50, memory 51, interface 5
3, the feeding means 12, the conveying means 46, and the print head 1.
4a, 14b, 14c, and 14d, and the moving means 30, respectively. The above components constitute the cutting plotter 1.

Next, the operation of the cutting plotter 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. In these figures, the user first places a plurality of objects 1 on, for example, a paper feed tray 8.
Accommodates one.

Then, the user operates the cutting plotter 1
Is inserted into a power outlet (both not shown) in the room. Next, when the user presses a power switch provided on the operation unit 50, the operation starts.

The control section 48 energizes the transport motor of the transport means 46 to transport the workpiece 11 in the first direction A (forward). The paper sensor 49 detects the tip of the object to be cut 11, and the object to be cut 11 further moves forward. At this time, the blade portion 27 of the cutter 15 is located above (in the direction C1) (see FIG. 4). When the object 11 advances to a predetermined position (home position), the control unit 48 stops energizing the transport motor.

Then, the control unit 48 sends a
Import print data. After reading the print data from the personal computer 52 into the memory 51,
Print data may be imported.

Next, the control section 48 energizes the carriage motor to move the carriage 9 from the left end to the right end in the second direction B. Along with the above operation, the control unit 48 applies a voltage to each of the piezoelectric elements provided in each of the print heads 14a to 14d, discharges the ink liquid appropriately, and performs printing.

When the printing operation is completed, the control section 48 causes the conveying means 46 to return the object 11 to the home position. The control unit 48 reads the cut data from the personal computer 52. The cut data refers to the blade portion 27 of the cutter 15.
A signal includes a first signal indicating whether the signal is to be raised or lowered, a second signal indicating whether to perform a full cut or a half cut (described later), and coordinates.

For example, in the above cut data, the first signal is a signal indicating down, and the second signal is a signal indicating full cut. At this time, the control unit 48 causes the motor 40 of the moving unit 30 to apply a negative voltage.

As a result, the shaft 42 and the screw body 41 of the motor 40 rotate counterclockwise, and the cutter 15 moves downward (C
2), when the bottom surface of the holder 15a substantially abuts on the surface of the workpiece 11 (the sensor detects the position), the motor 40
Stop supplying power to At this time, the blade portion 27 of the cutter 15
Is inserted over the entire thickness of the object 11 to be cut.

As described above, from the state where the cutter 15 is positioned above (see FIG. 4), the motor 40 is energized, the screw body 41 is rotated, and the cutter 15 held by the movable body 32 is rotated.
Is gradually moved downward (C2 direction). As a result, when the bottom surface of the holder 15a comes into contact with the surface of the workpiece 11 (see FIG. 6), noise at the time of contact can be reduced. 4 can be obtained by determining the rotation speed of the motor 40 and the size of the pitch of the screw body 41.

Next, the control unit 48 operates the carriage 9 and the conveying means 46 in accordance with the cut data in a state where the blade 27 is cut into the entire thickness or more (at the time of full cut). In this way, the object to be cut 11 is
Is transported by the transport means 46 while being sandwiched between the surface of the holder 15a and the bottom surface of the holder 15a. Then, the blade portion 27 cuts the workpiece 11 into a predetermined shape.

When the control unit 48 determines that the current position of the blade unit 27 is the up position in the cut data, the control unit 48 ends the full-cut cutting operation. That is, the control unit 48
Applies a positive voltage to the motor 40, moves the cutter 15 upward (C1), and returns the cutter 15 to its original state (see FIG. 4).

Then, the control section 48 energizes the transport motor provided in the transport means 46. As a result, the drive roller 43 rotates, and the object to be cut 11 further advances, is housed in the sheet discharge tray 7, and a series of operations ends. Like this, cutter 1
5 is fixed to the carriage 9 and the carriage 9 is in the second direction B
, But does not move in the first direction A. That is, the cutter 15 is maintained at a substantially fixed position in the transport direction (first direction A). The object 11 is cut by the cutter 15 while being conveyed by the conveying means 46.

Even if a plurality of cut objects 11 are placed on the feed tray 8 by the transfer means 46, the cut objects 11 are automatically transferred, printed, cut, and transferred. Therefore, there is an effect of the invention that it is not necessary for the user to set the objects to be cut on the mounting surface one by one as in the related art.

As described above, the control unit 48 reads the cut data from the personal computer 52. In the cut data, the case where the second signal is a signal for instructing the half cut will be described below. At this time, the control unit 48 causes the motor 40 to apply a negative voltage.

As a result, the screw body 41 rotates counterclockwise, the cutter 15 moves downward (C2), and the holder 15a
Reaches a position slightly above the surface of the object 11 to be cut. At that time, the energization of the motor 40 is stopped, and the cutter 15 is maintained at the above position (see FIG. 5). At this time,
The tip of the blade portion 27 of the cutter 15 is inserted so as to be located substantially in the middle of the workpiece 11.

Next, the controller 48 operates the carriage 9 and the conveying means 46 in accordance with the cut data in a state where the blade portion 27 is cut into a substantially intermediate thickness (at the time of half cutting). In this manner, the blade portion 27 is
Is cut into a predetermined shape at a substantially intermediate thickness.

As a result, the object to be cut 11 is cut at a substantially intermediate thickness (half cut). For example, when the half cut is performed according to the broken line portion, the bending becomes easy. When the object 11 is relatively thin, the height of the blade portion 27 can be adjusted as described above.

Next, the moving means 56 used in the cutting plotter 55 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8A is a front view of the moving means 56, and FIG.
FIG. 9B is a sectional view taken along the line E1E2 in FIG.

In FIG. 8, the fixed body 56a is formed, for example, in a box shape, and through holes are formed in the upper surface and the lower surface, respectively.
A left side plate 57 is formed on the left side. The fixed body 56a is fixed to a carriage (not shown in FIG. 8).

The movable body 58 includes, for example, left portions 59 and 60,
It is composed of a central portion 61 connected to it, and right portions 62 and 63 connected to the central portion 61. The left portions 59 and 60 are formed in a substantially U-shape, and are guided by a guide 64 fixed to the fixed body 56a.

The right portions 62 and 63 are formed in a substantially inverted U-shape.
It is guided by a guide 65 fixed to the fixed body 56a. The holder 15a of the cutter 15 is inserted into a hole formed in the central portion 61 of the movable body 58, and the flange portion 17 of the cutter 15 is fixed to the upper surface of the central portion 61. Thus, the movable body 58 of the moving means 56 holds the cutter.

The motor 66 is, for example, fixed on the left side plate 57 of the fixed body 56a by bolts or the like. Pulley 6
7 is inserted into the shaft 68 of the motor 66 and is fixed to the shaft 68 by small screws 69 and the like.

The belt 70 is made of, for example, steel (steel plate). One end of the belt 70 is in contact with the surface of the left portion 59 of the movable body 58, and one end is fixed to one end of the spring 71. The other end of the spring 71 is fixed to a protrusion 72 formed at an appropriate position on the movable body 58.

The vicinity of the other end of the belt 70 is in contact with the surface of the left portion 60 of the movable body 58, and the other end is fixed in place on the left portion 60 by a fixing member 73. The central portion of the belt 70 is disposed so as to contact the pulley 67.

The above contents can be summarized as follows.
Is composed of a fixed body 56a, a movable body 58, a motor 66, a pulley 67, a belt 70 and the like. The movable body 58 holds the cutter 15 and, with respect to the fixed body 56,
It is provided so as to be able to slide up and down (in the direction of C1C2). The pulley 67 is fixed to the shaft 68 of the motor 66, and one end and the other end of the belt 70 are fixed to one end (left portion 59) and the other end (left portion 60) of the movable body 58, respectively. The belt 70 is configured so as to obtain the driving force of the pulley 67 by contacting the center of the belt 70 with the pulley 67. The components of the cutting plotter 55 other than the moving means 56 are the same as those of the cutting plotter 1.

Next, the operation of the cutting plotter 55 will be described with reference to FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 7, FIG. FIG. 9A is a front view of the moving unit 56 when the cutter 15 has moved downward (C2), and FIG.
It is F1F2 sectional drawing of.

In these figures, when the control section 48 ends the printing operation, it reads the cut data from the personal computer 52. For example, in the cut data, the first signal is a signal for instructing the cutter 15 to go down, and the second signal is a signal for instructing the half cut. At this time, the control unit 48
Causes the motor 66 of the moving means 56 to apply a positive voltage.

As a result, the shaft 68 of the motor 66 rotates clockwise (G1 direction), and the pulley 67 also rotates in the G1 direction. The belt 70 abutting on the pulley 67 moves downward (in the direction C2) (see FIG. 8B). With this movement,
The movable body 58 fixed to one end and the other end of the belt 70 moves downward (C2 direction).

In this manner, the holder 15a of the cutter 15
Reaches a position slightly above the surface of the object 11 to be cut. At that time, the energization of the motor 66 is stopped, and the cutter 15 is maintained at the above position (see FIG. 9).

Next, in a state where the blade portion 27 is cut into a substantially intermediate thickness (at the time of half cutting), the control unit 48
According to the cut data, the carriage 9 and the conveying means 46
To work. In this manner, the blade portion 27 is
Is cut into a predetermined shape at a substantially intermediate thickness.

Then, the control section 48 ends the half-cut cutting, and determines that the position of the blade section 27 is the up position in the cut data. Next, the control unit 48
To apply a negative voltage.

As a result, the shaft 68 of the motor 66 rotates counterclockwise (G2 direction), and the pulley 67 also rotates in the G2 direction. Further, the belt 70 abutting on the pulley 67 moves upward (direction C1). By this movement, the movable body 58
Moves upward (direction C1), and the cutter 15 held by the movable body 58 also returns to the original position (see FIG. 8). Thus, a series of operations is completed. In the above description, a cutting plotter having a printing function has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to a cutting plotter having no printing function.

[0076]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a mounting member on which an object to be cut is mounted, a cutter having a blade portion for cutting the object to be cut, and a moving device for holding the cutter. The moving means is configured to continuously change the height of the blade portion. Thus, the moving means is configured to continuously change the height of the blade portion of the cutter. That is, the moving means includes a surface of the object to be cut and the blade portion 27.
The distance to the tip of the can be finely adjusted.

In this way, by gradually moving the cutter held by the moving means downward from the state where the cutter is located above, the bottom surface of the holder of the cutter is placed via the object to be cut. When it comes into contact with the table, noise at the time of contact can be reduced. Also, by finely adjusting the tip position of the blade part, the object to be cut can be cut to more than the entire thickness (full cut), and the object to be cut at a substantially intermediate depth (half cut)
You can do things. Further, by finely adjusting the tip position of the blade portion, various objects having different thicknesses can be accurately cut.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a conveying means for conveying the object to be cut in a first direction, and a feed means for moving the moving means in a second direction substantially orthogonal to the first direction. The cutting object is cut in a predetermined shape by moving the cutting object in the first direction while inserting the blade portion into the cutting object and moving in the second direction.

Even if a plurality of objects to be cut are placed on the sheet feeding tray, the objects to be cut are automatically conveyed, printed, cut, and conveyed by the conveying means. Therefore, unlike the related art, there is no need for the user to set the objects to be cut on the mounting surface one by one. Further, moving means for moving the cutter is provided, and the moving means is configured to perform an operation as to whether or not to cut the blade portion of the cutter into the object to be cut, depending on whether or not the cutting is performed. . According to this configuration, at the time of cutting, the blade portion of the cutter cuts the object to be cut by the moving means, the object is conveyed by the conveying means, and the object is cut. As a result, the object to be cut is cut accurately and promptly in a predetermined shape. Also, when not cutting (during printing), the blade of the cutter does not cut the object by the moving means, so that the object can be smoothly transported. As a result, paper jam of the cut object can be prevented.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the moving means includes:
A fixed body, a movable body, a motor, and a screw body, wherein the movable body holds the cutter and is provided on the fixed body so as to be vertically slidable, and the screw body is fixed to a shaft of the motor. And screwed to the movable body. With this configuration, the height of the movable body holding the cutter can be gradually changed by the motor via the screw body, so that the height of the blade provided on the cutter can be continuously and finely adjusted. it can. Further, by controlling the rotation speed of the motor, the change speed related to the height of the blade portion can be arbitrarily changed.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a projection protruding from the movable body is provided, and the projection is engaged with the groove of the screw body. With this configuration, the left portion 3 of the movable body
There is no need to thread the screws 3 and 34, and the cost is reduced. Further, when the left portions 33 and 34 of the movable body are threaded, precision of the pitch at the beginning of each threading is required in order to accurately screw with the threaded body. However, according to the present invention, since the engagement between the protrusion and the groove of the screw body is sufficient at one point, the precision of the pitch is not so required and the manufacture is easy.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the moving means includes:
A fixed body, a movable body, a motor, a pulley, and a belt, the movable body holds the cutter, and is provided on the fixed body so as to be slidable up and down, and the pulley is attached to a shaft of the motor. The belt is fixed, and one end and the other end of the belt are fixed to one end and the other end of the movable body, respectively, and a central portion of the belt comes into contact with the pulley to obtain a driving force. With this configuration, the height of the movable body holding the cutter can be gradually changed by the motor via the pulley and the belt, so that the height of the blade portion provided on the cutter can be continuously and finely adjusted. Can be. Further, by controlling the rotation speed of the motor, the change speed related to the height of the blade portion can be arbitrarily changed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cutting plotter 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the cutting plotter 1 (showing a state where the cutter 15 is located below).

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a cutter 15 used in the cutting plotter 1;

FIG. 4 is a front view of the moving means 30 used in the cutting plotter 1 (showing a state in which the cutter 15 is positioned above).

FIG. 5 is a front view of the moving means 30 (showing a state where the cutter 15 is at a half-cut position).

FIG. 6 is a front view of the moving means 30 (showing a state where the cutter 15 is at a full cut position).

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the cutting plotter 1;

FIG. 8A is a front view of a moving unit 56 (showing a state where the cutter 15 is positioned above) used in the cutting plotter 55 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 9B is a sectional view taken along the line E1E2 in FIG.

FIG. 9A is a front view of the moving means 56 (showing a state where the cutter 15 is at a half-cut position),
FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view along F1F2 of FIG. 9A.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 object to be cut 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d print head 15 cutter 30 moving means

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Shinichi Yamaguchi 3-201 Minamiyoshikata, Tottori-shi, Tottori Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hidemi Doi 3-201 Minamiyoshikata, Tottori-shi, Tottori Sanyo Tottori (72) Inventor Yukio Morimoto 3-201 Minamiyoshikata, Tottori-shi, Tottori Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Kenji Mita 3-201 Minamiyoshikata, Tottori-shi, Tottori Sanyo Electric Tottori F Term (reference) 2C058 AB01 AB12 AC07 AC17 AE02 AE09 AF03 AF20 AF51 LA04 LA07 LA14 LA29 LB06 LB19 LB36 LB42 LC11 LC24 3C027 GG02

Claims (5)

[Claims] An object includes a mounting body on which an object to be cut is mounted, a cutter having a blade portion for cutting the object, and moving means for holding the cutter, wherein the moving means includes the blade portion. The cutting plotter is characterized in that the height of the cutting plot is continuously changed. 2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising: conveying means for conveying the object to be cut in a first direction; feeding means for moving the moving means in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction; The object to be cut is cut into a predetermined shape by moving the object to be cut in the first direction while being inserted into the object and moving in the second direction. 1 cutting plotter. 3. The moving means includes: a fixed body, a movable body,
A motor and a screw body, wherein the movable body holds the cutter and is provided on the fixed body so as to be slidable up and down, the screw body is fixed to a shaft of the motor, and a screw is attached to the movable body. The cutting plotter according to claim 1, wherein the cutting plotter is combined. 4. A projection protruding from the movable body is provided,
The cutting plotter according to claim 3, wherein the protrusion is engaged with a groove of the screw body. 5. The moving means includes a fixed body, a movable body, a motor, a pulley, and a belt, and the movable body holds the cutter and is provided on the fixed body so as to be slidable up and down. , The pulley is fixed to the shaft of the motor, one end and the other end of the belt are fixed to one end and the other end of the movable body, respectively, and the driving force is generated by contacting the center of the belt with the pulley. 2. The cutting plotter according to claim 1, wherein