JP2001063166A - Printer with cutter - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To cut the blank around an image recording area. SOLUTION: A thermal head 7 records an image on recording paper 2 in a three-color surface sequence. Cutters 20, 21, 28 are successively arranged to a recording paper feed passage. During the stop of the feed of recording paper 2, a disc blade 40 is moved in the lateral direction of the recording paper 2 to cut the front end or rear end blank in the feed direction of the recording paper 2. The cutter 28 is constituted of a pair of slitters constituted of upper and lower rotary blades and nip rollers are provided to the shafts of the upper and lower rotary blades. Both side end blanks of the recording paper 2 are cut by utilizing the feed force of the recording paper 2. The recording paper 2 can be finished into two kinds of recording paper having a blank and recording paper having no blank.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printer provided with a cutter for cutting a recording sheet such as a long sheet or a cut sheet.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a color thermal printer, one thermal paper is reciprocated between a forward direction from a paper supply side to a discharge side and a reverse direction from a discharge side to a paper supply side. There is a type in which three-color images are thermally recorded by a head in a frame-sequential manner.

In the above-described color thermal printer, recording paper is nipped by a pair of conveying rollers including a capstan roller and a pinch roller, and the recording paper is reciprocated in a forward direction and a reverse direction by rotation of a captain roller. Then, when the conveying roller pair conveys the recording paper in any direction, the thermal head thermally records an image of a specific color on the recording paper. In order to stably perform the thermal recording, an image is recorded in a range of a size smaller than the recording paper. Therefore,
There is a blank space all around the image recording area. On the other hand, in print photographs and the like, marginless prints without margins are generally used. In view of this, prints without margins are desired even in thermal printing. For this reason, there is a demand for selectively cutting a margin around the image recording area.

In order to cut the margins, cutters and slits at the front and rear ends may be arranged. For example, Japanese Patent No. 2833
185 and JP-A-8-11087 propose a slitter that moves an upper rotary blade relative to a lower rotary blade between a cutting position and a retracted position.

[0005]

In the slitter described in the above publication, the upper rotary blade is moved up from the cutting position to the retracted position by a flip-up method. For this reason, a space for raising the upper rotary blade is required. There is a problem that the thickness of the apparatus is increased by the amount of the splashing space, and it is not possible to reduce the size of the apparatus. It is also necessary to separately provide a paper discharge roller and the like.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a printer with a cutter capable of reducing the size of the apparatus itself by devising a space for retracting the blade during non-cutting.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printer with a cutter which cuts a recording sheet in a width direction while the conveyance is stopped; and transports the recording sheet to the cutter. A slitter that is arranged on the upstream side or the downstream side in the direction and cuts the recording sheet in the conveying direction while conveying the recording sheet; retreats to a cutting position where the width of the recording sheet is cut to a predetermined width and an outer position in the width direction of the recording sheet Moving means for moving the slitter in the width direction of the recording paper between the retracted position to be moved;
A selection operation member which is provided so as to be operable externally and selects whether or not to cut margins generated after recording an image on the recording paper; and driving a moving means to move the slitter to the cutting position and permit the operation of the cutter. And a control unit for selectively switching in response to an operation of the selection operation member, in one of a cutting mode in which the cutting operation is performed and a non-cutting mode in which the slitter is moved to the retracted position and the operation of the cutter is prohibited. is there.

In the printer with the cutter according to the second aspect,
The cutter comprises a front end margin cutter for cutting a front end margin in the recording paper conveyance direction and a rear end margin cutter for cutting a rear end margin in the recording paper conveyance direction. The printer with a cutter according to the third aspect of the present invention is provided with a cutting operation prohibiting unit that detects a cutting abnormality of the cutter and holds the slitter at the retracted position when the cutting abnormality is detected. Further, in the printer with the cutter according to the fourth aspect, the cutting abnormality detecting means determines whether there is a cutting abnormality based on a time required for the disk blade of the cutter to make one reciprocating motion.

In the printer with a cutter according to the fifth aspect,
A first disk blade provided on the front end margin cutter, a second disk blade provided on the rear end margin cutter, and a tool rest integrally supporting the first and second disk blades; A moving means for reciprocating the tool post between a standby position and a cutting completion position, and a cutting position of a front end margin of the recording paper at a cutting position of the first disk blade when cutting the front end margin, and a rear end position. The cutter is provided with control means for controlling the conveyance of the recording paper so that the cutting position of the trailing edge margin of the recording paper when cutting the margin matches the cutting position of the second disk blade.

In a printer with a cutter according to claim 6,
The moving means detects a load applied to the first and second disk blades when the tool post is moved toward the cutting completion position, and the load is detected by the first disk blade, the second disk blade, Return means for returning the tool rest to the standby position when the load is greater than when cutting the recording paper.

[0011]

FIG. 1 schematically shows a color thermal printer embodying the present invention. In this color thermal printer, a sheet of color thermal recording paper (hereinafter referred to as
It is called “recording paper”. 2) is used. The recording paper 2 is supplied from a paper supply unit 3. The paper feed unit 3 feeds a plurality of recording papers 2 stored in a cassette by a paper feed roller.

A thermal head 7 is provided downstream of the paper feeding section 3.
And a platen roller 8. The thermal head 7 is provided with a heating element array 7a in which many heating elements are arranged in a line. This thermal head 7
Pivots about the support shaft 9 between a printing position where the recording paper 2 is pressed on the platen roller 8 and a retracted position away from the platen roller 8.

As is well known, the recording paper 2 is provided with a cyan thermosensitive coloring layer, a magenta thermosensitive coloring layer, and a yellow thermosensitive coloring layer in this order on a support. The yellow thermosensitive coloring layer, which is the uppermost layer, has the highest thermal sensitivity and develops yellow with small heat energy. The cyan thermosensitive coloring layer, which is the lowermost layer, has the lowest thermal sensitivity and develops cyan with large thermal energy. Further, the yellow thermosensitive coloring layer loses its coloring ability when irradiated with near-ultraviolet rays of 420 nm. The magenta thermosensitive coloring layer develops magenta color with a thermal energy intermediate between the yellow thermosensitive coloring layer and the cyan thermosensitive coloring layer,
The coloring ability disappears when irradiated with 5 nm ultraviolet rays. The recording paper 2 is provided with a black thermosensitive coloring layer,
It may have a layered structure.

On the downstream side of the thermal head 7, the recording paper 2
Roller pair 10 for transporting the sheet. The transport roller pair 10 includes a capstan roller 12 and a pinch roller 13 rotatable above the capstan roller 12. Capstan roller 12
Are arranged below the recording paper 2 and are driven by a recording paper feed motor 11 composed of a pulse motor. The pinch roller 13 moves between a position separated from the capstan roller 12 and a pressed position. When the position sensor 14 detects the leading end of the recording paper 2, the conveying roller pair 10 presses the recording paper 2 by pressing the pinch roller 13.
, And the recording paper 2 is turned from the paper supply side to the paper discharge side by the rotation of the capstan roller 12 (arrow A direction), and the reverse direction from the paper discharge side to the paper supply side (arrow B direction). And are transported alternately.

An encoder 15 is provided on a rotating shaft of the pinch roller 13. The encoder 15 detects the number of rotations of the pinch roller 13 and measures the transport amount of the recording paper 2.

An optical fixing device 16 is disposed downstream of the transport roller pair 10 in the forward direction. This optical fixing device 16
Is composed of an ultraviolet lamp 17 for yellow which emits near-ultraviolet light having an emission peak of 420 nm, an ultraviolet lamp 18 for magenta which emits ultraviolet light having an emission peak of 365 nm, and a reflector 19 covering the back of these lamps.

On the downstream side of the forward feed with respect to the optical fixing device 16, a front margin cutter 20, which corresponds to the cutter of the present invention,
And a rear end margin cutter 21 are arranged in order. The front end margin cutter 20 cuts the recording paper 2 along the width direction,
Downstream margin of forward feed around image recording area (hereinafter,
"The front margin"). Rear margin cutter 21
Means that the recording paper 2 is cut along the width direction and the upstream margin (hereinafter referred to as a “rear margin”) in the forward direction around the image recording area.
Cut off).

Downstream of the trailing edge cutter 21 in the forward direction with respect to the trailing edge cutter 21, there are disposed both side edge margin cutters 28 corresponding to the slitter of the present invention. A discharge roller pair 29 is incorporated in both side margin cutters 28. The discharge roller pair 29 is driven by the recording paper feed motor 11, and the recording paper 2
And transport it in the forward direction. Both sides margin cutter 28
Cuts the recording paper 2 conveyed by the discharge roller pair 29 in the conveyance direction, and simultaneously cuts the left and right margins around the image recording area in the width direction.

A discharge port 30 is provided on the downstream side of the forward feed with respect to the margin cutters 28 on both sides. Outlet 3
A discharge tray 31 is detachably attached to the outside of the tray. The discharge tray 31 is provided with a tray section 32 and a dust receiving section 34. The tray section 32 has a discharge port 3
0 to receive the recording paper 2 discharged outside. The dust receiving portion 34 is disposed below the cutters 20 and 21 and the both-side margin cutters 28 and receives the debris 33 coming out of the both-side margin cutters 28. The dust receiving portion 34 is provided in the tray portion 32.
The door 35 is provided so as to protrude below the opening, and pushes a door 35 that can be opened and closed below the discharge port 30 to enter the inside of the printer through the opening 36. When the discharge tray 31 is removed from the printer, the door 35 is closed by the bias of a spring (not shown), so that the opening 36 is shielded.

Although not shown, the dust receiving portion 34
It is preferable that a dust detection sensor is provided in the printer and an alarm is issued when the amount of the debris 33 reaches a certain amount. In this case, jamming of the recording paper due to accumulation of the scraps 33 is prevented.

As shown in FIG. 2, the front end margin cutter 20 includes a disk blade 40, a fixed blade 41, a tool rest 42, a tool rest guide 43, a tool rest waiting position detecting sensor 48, and the like. The fixed blade 41 is formed in a thin plate shape,
The longitudinal direction is fixed along the width direction of the recording paper 2,
The upper end of the long side of the thin plate surface is a blade edge 41a. Cutting edge 4
1a is slightly lower than the transport path. Disk blade 40
Is rotatably attached to the tool rest 42 and contacts the cutting edge 41 a of the fixed blade 41. The tool post guide 43 is
The tool rest 42 is supported movably in the width direction of the recording paper 2. A part of the belt 44 is fixed to the tool rest 42.

The belt 44 is hung on a pair of pulleys 45 and 46. The pair of pulleys 45 and 46
Are arranged on both sides in the width direction. The drive of the cutter motor 47 is transmitted to one pulley 46. Belt 44
Is normally and reversely rotated by a cutter motor 47 via a pulley 46. Thus, the tool rest 42 reciprocates in the width direction of the recording paper 2. The tool post standby position detection sensor 48 includes a light blocking plate 48a provided on the tool post 42 and a transmission type photoelectric sensor 48b, and the tool post 42 stands by by detecting the light blocking plate 48a by the photoelectric sensor 48b. A signal indicating the return to the position is sent to the control unit 50.

The control unit 50 specifies the cutting position based on the measurement of the number of rotations of the pinch roller 13 and stops the conveyance of the recording paper 2 before cutting the recording paper feed motor 11.
And the operation of the cutter motor 47 are controlled.

The fixed blade 41 has an upper surface 41b facing the transport path and parallel to the transport path. A paper guide 51 is formed on the lower surface of the tool rest guide 43. The paper guide 51 is, as shown in FIG.
The recording paper 2 has a cross-sectional shape in which the gap between the recording paper 2 and the recording paper 2 is gradually narrowed.

The rear margin cutter 21 is a front margin cutter 2.
Since the configuration is the same as that of the front end margin cutter 20, the same reference numerals as those of the front end margin cutter 20 are used here, and detailed description is omitted. The difference is that, as shown in FIG. 1, the arrangement of the disk blade 40 and the fixed blade 41 with respect to the forward feed is reversed.
As shown in FIG. 4, the paper guide 51 for the rear end margin cutter 21 is disposed on the lower surface of the tool post guide 43, and has a cross-sectional shape that gradually widens toward the cutting edge 41a. The rear end margin cutter 21 is a front end margin cutter 2.
0, and cuts the trailing margin of the recording paper 2 while nipping by the discharge roller pair 29.

The rear margin cutter 21 is provided with a position sensor 22 on the upstream side in the forward direction with respect to the disk blade 40. The position sensor 22 detects the rear end of the recording paper 2.
When the position sensor 22 detects the trailing edge of the recording paper 2,
The scheduled cutting position at which the rear end margin of the recording paper 2 is cut matches the cutting position of the rear end margin cutter 21. The control unit 50 stops the conveyance of the recording paper 2 based on the trailing edge detection signal obtained from the position sensor 22, and cuts the recording paper feed motor 11 and the cutter for the trailing edge margin cutter 21 so as to cut after the stop. The motor 47 is controlled.

As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, both side margin cutters 28 include a discharge roller pair 29 and a pair of slitters 28a and 28b for cutting both side edges of the recording paper 2 in the transport direction.
And a shift mechanism 66 for moving the slitters 28a and 28b in the width direction of the recording paper 2. Shift mechanism 6
Reference numeral 6 moves the slitter between a cutting position where the recording paper 2 is cut and a retreat position where the conveyance of the recording paper 2 is not hindered. The discharge roller pair 29 includes an upper roller 53 and a lower roller 54 that nip the recording paper 2 and discharge it toward the discharge port 30. The upper roller 53 includes an upper roller shaft 53a disposed parallel to the width direction of the recording paper 2 and two roller bodies 53b fixed to the upper roller shaft 53a with a predetermined distance therebetween.

The lower roller 54 includes a lower roller shaft 54a arranged in parallel with the width direction of the recording paper 2 and two roller bodies fixed to the lower roller shaft 54a so as to contact the pair of roller bodies 53b. 54b. One end of each of the upper and lower roller shafts 53a, 54a has a gear 59 meshing with each other.
60 are respectively fixed. These gears 59, 6
0 indicates that the drive of the recording paper feed motor 11 is transmitted to one of the gears 59 to rotate the upper and lower roller shafts 53a and 54a, respectively.

The left slitter 28a is composed of an upper rotary blade 62 and a lower rotary blade 64. Also, the right slitter 28
b also includes a pair of upper rotary blades 63 and lower rotary blades 65. The lower rotary blades 64 and 65 are coaxial with the lower roller shaft 54a and are fixed to both outer sides of the roller body 54b. The blade interval between the lower rotary blades 64 and 65, that is, the interval L1 shown in FIG. 6, is an interval corresponding to a predetermined width of the image recording area or a width slightly smaller than the predetermined width. The lower rotary blades 64 and 65 have the same blade tip diameter as the roller body 54b.

The upper rotary blades 62 and 63 are lower rotary blades 64 and 6
The recording paper 2 is moved in the width direction of the recording paper 2 by a shift mechanism 66 between a cut position where the recording paper 2 comes into contact with the recording paper 5 and a retracted position where the recording paper 2 is retracted to an outer position in the width direction. The shift mechanism 66 includes blade slide members 67 and 68, support blocks 69 and 70, and one shift unit 61 that cooperates and moves the support blocks 69 and 70.

The upper rotary blades 62, 63 are attached to the blade slide members 67, 68. Support block 69,
70 supports the blade slide members 67 and 68 so as to be movable along the axial direction of the upper roller shaft 53a and to rotate together with the upper roller shaft 53a.

The shift portion 61 includes a guide bracket 72,
73, cam pins 74 and 75, a cam plate 78, a cam plate drive motor 89, and the like. The left guide bracket 72 holds the left support block 69 at one end,
The other end has a left cam pin 74. The right guide bracket 73 also holds the right support block 70 at one end,
The other end has a right cam pin 75. The pair of rectilinear guide openings 76, 77 are used to connect the pair of cam pins 74, 75 to the recording paper 2.
Are provided in the cutter frame 80 so as to be movable in the width direction. The cutter frame 80 is
Both ends of the upper and lower rollers 53 and 56 are rotatably supported.

The cam plate 78 is formed in an elliptical shape.
It is rotatably mounted by a mounting shaft 81. An elliptical cam groove 82 is formed in the cam plate 78. Cam pins 74 and 75 are engaged with the cam groove 82. Therefore, when the cam plate 78 rotates, the cam pins 7
The guide brackets 72 and 73 are moved in the width direction of the recording paper 2 via the recording papers 4 and 75. Guide bracket 72, 73
Are fixed to the support blocks 69, 70, so that the upper rotary blades 62, 63 move between the cutting position and the retracted position.

In the retracted position, the upper rotary blade 62, shown in FIG.
The blade edge interval L2 of 63 is made wider than the width W of the recording paper 2. Note that the cam groove 82 of the present embodiment is
The shape is such that the pair of upper rotary blades 62 and 63 are alternately moved to a cut position and a retracted position by rotation every 0 degree.

As shown in FIG. 5, the both side margin cutters 28 are provided with position detecting sensors 85 and 86 for detecting the moving positions of the support blocks 69 and 70. The position detection sensors 85 and 86 are configured by transmission type photoelectric sensors, and detect the light shielding plate 84 provided on the guide bracket 72. One position detection sensor 86 sends a signal to the control unit 50 that the upper rotary blades 62 and 63 have moved to the cut position by detecting the light shielding plate 84. Further, the other position detection sensor 85 detects the light shielding plate 84 and outputs a signal indicating that the upper rotary blades 62 and 63 have moved to the retracted position.
Send to

The control unit 50 is connected to a cut selection switch 87 operably provided outside. By operating the cut selection switch 87, a selection operation signal as to whether or not to cut the margin of the recording paper 2 is input to the control unit 50. When margin cutting is selected by the cut selection switch 87, the control unit 50 sends a motor drive signal to the driver 88 to drive the cam plate drive motor 89 to rotate the cam plate 78 in one direction. The control unit 50 controls the pair of position detection sensors 85 and 86 while the cam plate drive motor 89 is being driven.
The detection signals obtained from the cam plate drive motor 8 are monitored when the signals from the position detection sensor 86 are obtained.
9 is stopped.

The support blocks 69 and 70 are provided with separation guides 90 and 91, respectively. Separation guide 9
Numerals 0 and 91 separate the scrap pieces 33 cut by the pair of slitters 28a and 28b out of the conveyance path of the recording paper 2 and guide them toward the dust receiving portion 34. The support blocks 69, 70
When the upper rotary blades 62, 63 are moved to the cutting position, the separation guides 90, 91 are positioned downstream of the upper rotary blades 62, 63 in the forward feed direction.
Is moved to a position where the conveyance of the recording paper 2 is not hindered when the recording paper 2 is moved to the retreat position.

Since the blade slide members 67 and 68 and the support blocks 69 and 70 have the same configuration, only one of the configurations will be described below, and the same reference numeral will be given to the other. Here, detailed description is omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the blade slide member 67 includes a rotary blade holding sleeve 100 and a sliding sleeve 1.
01 and a coil spring 102. The rotary blade holding sleeve 100 holds the upper rotary blade 62. The sliding sleeve 101 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and is supported by the upper roller shaft 53a so as to be movable in the axial direction. A guide groove 103 and inner and outer stoppers 104 and 105 formed of flanges at both ends are formed in the sliding sleeve 101, and the rotary blade holding sleeve 100 is slidably held by an outer peripheral surface between the stoppers 104 and 105. I do.

The coil spring 102 has an outer stopper 105
And the rotary blade holding sleeve 100, and urges the rotary blade holding sleeve 100 toward the inner stopper 104. Thus, the upper rotary blades 62, 6 are formed by the coil spring 102.
By moving the upper rotating blades 62 and 63 to the lower rotating blades 64 and 65 by moving the upper rotating blades 62 and 63 to the lower rotating blades 64 and 65, the upper rotating blades 62 and 63 can be moved to the lower rotating blades. It is possible to maintain a constant force for pressing against 64, 65.

At the upper and lower ends of the support blocks 69, 70,
A pair of elastic claws 108, 1 are sandwiched between the upper roller shaft 53a.
09 is provided. The elastic claws 108 and 109 hold the outer stopper 105 so as not to move in the axial direction of the upper roller shaft 53a and to be rotatable in a rotation direction about the upper roller shaft 53a.

A hole 110 is provided in the upper roller shaft 53a. In the hole 110, the rotary blade holding sleeve 100,
A pin 111 for transmitting a rotational force to the sliding sleeve 101 is press-fitted with both ends thereof protruding from a shaft. A guide groove 112 with which both ends of the pin 111 are engaged is formed in the opening 107 of the rotary blade holding sleeve 100 in the axial direction. The pin 1 is also provided on the inner peripheral surface of the sliding sleeve 101.
A guide groove 113 through which both ends of 11 are inserted is formed. These guide grooves 112 and 113 have a length corresponding to at least the amount of movement of the blade slide member 67 and the upper roller shaft 5
3a is formed in the axial direction.

In the printer with a cutter according to the present embodiment, the front margin is cut by the front margin cutter 20 at the very beginning after the image is recorded. By the way, for example, when the recording paper 2 is fed multiple times or when the disk blade 40 is damaged for some reason, the disk blade 40 stops in the width direction of the recording paper 2 and becomes 2 may be blocked. Generally, a printer has an opening / closing door for jam clearance, from which a hand is inserted to remove jammed recording paper. In the printer according to the present embodiment, since the blade is incorporated therein, it is dangerous to configure the printer so that a hand can be inserted. Therefore, the control unit 50
Has a built-in safety mechanism for immediately stopping the cutting operation when a trouble occurs in the first cutting operation, returning the blade to the standby position, and discharging the recording paper 2.

As shown in FIG. 10, the safety mechanism comprises an overload detecting section 131, a cutter abnormality judging section 132, a timer circuit 133, and a cutter operation prohibiting section 134.

The overload detecting means 131 includes a cutter motor 4
When the overload of No. 7 is detected, a signal for driving the cutter motor 47 to rotate in the reverse direction is sent to the driver 121 to perform control to return the tool rest 42 to the standby position. The cutter abnormality determination unit 132
The position detection sensor 48b of the front end margin cutter 20 is monitored,
The time from when the tool rest 42 moves to when it returns to the standby position is measured by the timer circuit 133, and the measured value is compared with the reference value. If the measured value is short, it is determined to be abnormal. . Note that the reference value is a time when the image is normally cut, and is stored in the memory 135 in advance. In this reference value, a permissible time is considered in consideration of an error generated in the reciprocation of the disk blade 40.

The cutter operation prohibiting section 134 returns the upper rotary blades 62, 63 to the retracted position in response to the cutter abnormality judging section 132 judging that it is abnormal,
Thereafter, control is performed such that the operation of the rear end margin cutter 21 is prohibited and the recording paper 2 is discharged. As described above, when it is determined that the margin of the recording paper 2 cannot be cut by the first cutting operation, the subsequent cutting is stopped. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the recording paper 2 from being jammed due to a cutting trouble. Can be.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the initial state of the printer, the thermal head 7 is set at the retreat position away from the platen roller 8 and the pinch roller 13 of the transport roller pair 10 is set.
Are set at positions away from the capstan roller 12. Disk blade 4 of front and rear margin cutters 20, 21
Reference numeral 0 denotes a standby position which does not prevent the recording paper 2 from passing therethrough.
Are located at the retracted positions respectively retracted to the outside in the width direction of the recording paper 2.

Before printing is started, whether or not a margin can be cut is selectively input by a cut selection switch 87. When a print key (not shown) is operated after selecting a margin cut with the cut selection switch 87, first, the control unit 50
Performs paper feeding. As a result, the recording paper 2 is sent out from the paper supply unit 3 and is supplied to the thermal head 7.
During this feeding, the thermal head 7 moves the platen roller 8
Has been moved to the evacuation position away from

The fed recording paper 2 passes between the thermal head 7 and the platen roller 8 with the recording surface up in FIG. 1, and the pinch roller 13 and the capstan roller 12 of the transport roller pair 10 are moved. Sent between and. When the position sensor 14 detects that the leading end of the recording sheet 2 has passed between the pinch roller 13 and the capstan roller 12, the pinch roller 13 is moved to a position where the pinch roller 13 comes into pressure contact with the capstan roller 12. The recording paper 2 is sandwiched between the pinch roller 13 and the capstan roller 12.

After the transport roller pair 10 is sandwiched,
The thermal head 7 moves to the print position. Thereafter, the recording paper feed motor 11 is driven to rotate the capstan roller 12 to convey the recording paper 2 in the forward direction.

During this transfer, the control unit 50 controls the encoder 1
5 is monitored, and when it is detected that the leading end of the image recording area is located at the position of the thermal head 7, the thermal head 7 is driven to move the recording paper 2 into the image recording area. The yellow image is thermally recorded line by line. During this thermal recording, the yellow ultraviolet lamp 17 of the optical fixing device 16 is turned on to optically fix the thermally recorded yellow thermosensitive coloring layer.

When the thermal recording of the yellow image is completed, the thermal head 7 is moved to the retracted position, and thereafter the recording paper 2
Is transported in the reverse direction, and the transport is continued until the position sensor detects the rear end of the recording paper 2 in the reverse direction. Thereafter, the thermal head 7 is moved to the printing position, and the recording paper 2 is transported again in the forward direction. During this transport, the thermal recording of the magenta image by the thermal head 7 and the magenta thermosensitive coloring layer by the ultraviolet lamp 18 for magenta are performed. Light fixing is performed.

When the thermal recording of the magenta image is completed, the thermal recording of the cyan image is similarly performed. Since the cyan thermosensitive coloring layer has a thermal sensitivity that does not cause coloring in a normal storage state, light fixing is not performed. Further, the magenta ultraviolet lamp 18 may be turned on during recording, and the unrecorded area may be bleached.

When the thermal recording of the cyan image is completed, a full-color image is formed in the image recording area by three color planes sequentially. Then, after the recording of the cyan image, the recording paper 2 after the image recording is returned in the reverse direction B by the transport roller pair 10. Then, when the leading end of the recording paper 2 passes through the position sensor 14, the returning of the recording paper 2 ends.

Next, the control unit 50 controls the both-side margin cutter 2.
8 so that the upper rotary blades 62 and 63 are set at the cutting position. In this control, first, the cam plate drive motor 89 is driven via the driver 88. The drive of the cam plate drive motor 89 is transmitted to the cam plate 78 via a gear train or the like. As a result, the cam plate 78 rotates in one direction.
By this rotation, the cam pin 7 engaged with the cam groove 82
4 and 75 move as the intersection of the cam groove 82 and the linear guide openings 76 and 77 moves. Thereby, the guide bracket 72 to which the cam pins 74 and 75 are fixed,
73 shifts. This shift is caused by the support block 69,
70, and transmitted to the blade slide members 67 and 68.

The control unit 50 monitors the signals from the position detection sensors 85 and 86 while driving the cam plate drive motor 89. When the position detection sensor 86 detects the light shielding plate 84, the control unit 50 drives the cam plate. The driving of the motor 89 is stopped. As a result, the pair of blade slide members 67 and 68 are moved to the cut positions shown in FIG. 6, respectively, and the upper rotary blades 62 and 63 abut against the lower rotary blades 64 and 65 from both ends of the upper roller shaft 53a. State.

At this time, a pair of support blocks 69, 70
Is moved by an amount slightly longer than the amount of movement of the upper rotary blades 62, 63 in contact with the lower rotary blades 64, 65, respectively.
Therefore, as shown in FIG.
After the abutment with the lower rotary blades 64 and 65, the rotary blade holding sleeve 100 is further pushed to a position slightly away from the inner stopper 104 against the bias of the coil spring 102. As a result, the upper rotary blades 62 and 63 are
The state of being pressed by the lower rotary blades 64 and 65 by the bias of 02 is brought about. With this configuration, for example, when dust or foreign matter hits between the upper and lower rotary blades 62 to 65, the upper rotary blades 62 and 63 can escape against the bias of the coil spring 102. In addition, damage to the upper and lower rotary blades 62 to 65 can be prevented. If the coil springs 102 having different urging forces are used according to the thickness and the material of the sheet to be cut, the stability and reliability at the time of cutting can be improved.

When the setting of the both-side margin cutters 28 at the cut positions is completed, the recording paper 2 is fed in the forward direction A. When the leading edge of the recording paper 2 is detected by the position sensor 14, the rotation number of the pinch roller 13 is measured,
Based on the measured value, it is specified that the scheduled cutting position of the front margin of the recording paper 2 has reached the cutting position of the front margin cutter 20. Then, the conveyance of the recording paper 2 is stopped at the specified time, and then the front margin cutter 20 is operated.

In this operation, first, while the driving of the paper feed motor 11 is stopped by the control unit 50, the cutter motor 47 is rotated forward and backward by a predetermined amount of pulses via the driver 120. As a result, the belt 44 makes one reciprocating rotation, and the tool post 42 reciprocates with the belt 44 one time between the standby position and the cutting completion position.
Is cut in the width direction.

While the cutter motor 47 is being driven, the control unit 50
The overload detecting means 131 measures the current flowing through the cutter motor 47, and detects the overload based on the measured value. When the overload of the cutter motor 47 is not detected,
The cutter motor 47 is driven as it is. The cutter abnormality determination unit 132 measures the time required for one reciprocation of the disk blade 40 by the timer circuit 133 using a signal obtained from the position detection sensor 48b, and compares the measured value with a reference value. Thus, it is determined whether or not the front end margin cutter 20 has performed a normal cutting operation. Information on the result of this determination is sent to the cutting operation prohibition unit 134. The cutting operation prohibition unit 134 allows the operation of the next rear end margin cutter 21 by receiving the information of the normal cut.

When the front margin is cut, the conveying roller pair 10 nips the recording paper 2 on the upstream side in the forward direction, and as shown in FIG.
In the upstream of the recording paper 2 in the forward direction, that is, a narrow gap between the paper guide 51 and the upper surface 41a arranged on the recording surface side, the floating of the recording paper 2 generated at the time of cutting is prevented. It can be cut smoothly without cutting. Thus, the front edge of the image recording area can be cut straight.

The control unit 50 drives the recording paper feed motor 11 in response to the cutting operation prohibiting unit 134 allowing the operation of the rear margin cutter 21, and conveys the recording paper 2 in the forward direction A. . During the conveyance, the leading end of the recording paper 2 is nipped by the discharge roller pair 29 and is conveyed by the discharge roller pair 29. The discharge roller pair 29 rotates at the same peripheral speed as the transport roller pair 10. At the same time as the recording paper 2 is nipped by the discharge roller pair 29, the recording paper 2
Left and right margins in the width direction are cut in the transport direction by the lower rotary blades 62 to 65. Then, the rear end of the recording paper 2 is
2, the cut position of the trailing edge cutter 21 matches the cut position of the trailing edge cutter 21. At this point, the driving of the recording paper feed motor 11 is temporarily stopped, and then the rear margin cutter 21 is operated.

When cutting the trailing margin, the forward direction A
A discharge roller pair 29 nips the recording paper 2 on the downstream side of the paper guide 5, and as shown in FIG. 4, the paper guide 5 disposed on the downstream side in the forward direction with respect to the rear margin cutter 21, that is, on the recording surface side.
Since the floating of the recording paper 2 generated at the time of cutting is prevented in a narrow gap between the upper surface 41a and the upper surface 41a, the recording paper 2 can be cut smoothly by the disk blade 40, and the rear edge of the image recording area can be cut straight.

After the operation of the rear margin cutter 21 is completed, the recording paper feed motor 11 is driven again to move the recording paper 2 in the forward direction A.
Conveyed toward. Front and rear margin cutters 20, 21
The debris 33 cut by the above is naturally dropped and stored in the dust receiving portion 34.

When the recording paper 2 is curled by, for example, thermal recording, the fixed blades 41 of the front and rear margin cutters 20 and 21 may come into contact with the image recording surface and cause inconvenience of shaving the image. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, since the fixed blade 41 is disposed on the side opposite to the recording surface of the recording paper 2, such inconvenience does not occur.

When the recording paper 2 is conveyed again by the discharge roller pair 29, cutting of the left and right margins is continued by the upper and lower rotary blades 62 to 65. At this time, the upper rotary blades 62 and 63 are pressed against the lower rotary blades 64 and 65 by the bias of the coil spring 102, and the upper and lower rotary blades 62 to 65 are pressed.
Both are rotated together with the upper and lower roller shafts 53a and 54a, so that the cutting can be performed smoothly. Then, the recording paper 2 from which the margin has been cut is discharged from the discharge port 30 to the tray section 32 by the discharge roller pair 29.

Scrap pieces 3 cut by both side margin cutters 28
3 is guided by a pair of separation guides 90 and 91 and separated from the transport path. Then, it falls into the garbage receiving section 34,
This is saved.

Next, the case where the overload detecting means 131 detects the overload of the cutter motor 47 will be described. In this case, since the current flowing through the cutter motor 47 increases, it can be determined that an overload has occurred by detecting this. When the overload is detected, the overload detecting means 131 sends a signal for driving the cutter motor 47 to rotate in the reverse direction to the driver 121 to return the disk blade 40 to the standby position.

The time required for one round trip of the disk blade 40 is measured by the timer circuit 123 by the cutter abnormality judging section 132. Then, the measured value is compared with the reference value. When the overload is detected, the disk blade 40 is immediately returned to the standby position, so that the measured value is shorter than the reference value. In this case, it is determined that the cut is abnormal. This information is transmitted to the cutter operation prohibiting section 134.
Sent to The cutting operation prohibiting unit 134 receives the information indicating the abnormal cutting, and retreats the upper rotating blades 62 and 63 of the both-side margin cutter 28 so that the cam plate drive motor 8 is retracted.
9 and prohibits the operation of the next trailing edge margin cutter 21. After that, the conveying roller pair 10 is driven, and the recording sheet 2 whose cutting is interrupted is discharged as it is by the discharge roller pair 29. As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent the occurrence of a paper jam due to the abnormal cutting.

When a plurality of prints are instructed and the margin cut is selected, the margin cutters 20, 2
After the positions 1 and 28 have been moved to the retracted position, the next printing is started. Then, after finishing the three-color surface printing,
The margin cutters 20, 21, and 28 operate to cut each margin.

When no margin cut is selected by the cut selection switch 87, the recording paper 2 is discharged from the discharge port 30 by the discharge roller pair 29 without stopping the driving of the recording paper feed motor 11 after image recording. To be discharged.
When passing through the margin cutters 28 on both sides, the pair of upper rotary blades 62 and 63 and the separation guides 90 and 91 are retracted to both outer sides in the width direction of the recording paper 2, respectively.
It does not prevent the passage of Also, the lower rotary blades 64, 65
Has the same diameter as or slightly smaller than the roller body 54b. For this reason, even if the recording paper 2 passes, the lower rotary blade 6
4, 65 can reliably prevent inconvenience such as scratching the recording surface.

In the printer of the above embodiment, the recording paper 2
Is set to, for example, a postcard size, and the size of the recording paper 2 with the margins cut out is set to the same size as, for example, the L size of the silver halide print photo. The recorded image can be enjoyed in an album or the like, and can be enjoyed as a post card when not cut.

Further, in the above embodiment, one sheet is used as the sheet.
Although the recording paper 2 cut into sheets is used, the present invention is not limited to this, and a sheet drawn in a band form from a roll form may be used. Furthermore, although the upper rotary blades 62 and 63 are moved between the cutting position and the retracted position, the present invention is not limited to this.
The pair of lower rotary blades 64 and 65 may be moved between the cutting position and the retracted position. In this case, the lower rotary blades 64, 65 are positioned outside the upper rotary blades 62, 63. The upper and lower rotary blades 62 and 64 and the upper and lower rotary blades 6
Alternatively, the pair 3 and 65 may be moved between the cut position and the retracted position.

Further, in the above embodiment, the front end margin cutter 20, the rear end margin cutter 21, and the both side end margin cutters 2 are used.
8 and the front margin is cut by the front margin cutter 20 at the very beginning after image recording. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The left and right margins may be cut first. In this way, the order of margin cutting is determined by the front and rear margin cutters 20,
21 and the arrangement order of the both side margin cutters 28 can be changed as appropriate.

When the both side margin cutters 28 are arranged first, the both side margin cutters 28 are provided with cutting abnormality detecting means for detecting a cutting abnormality. The disconnection abnormality detection means
A sensor for detecting the passage of the recording paper 2 is provided in the conveyance path inside the both-side margin cutter 28, and the time when the recording paper 2 passes is measured based on a signal obtained from the sensor, and the measured value is determined in advance. If the value is exceeded, it is determined that the disconnection is abnormal.
Then, in response to the cutting abnormality detecting means judging that the cutting is abnormal, the cutting operation prohibiting unit moves the upper rotary blades 62 and 63 to the retracted position, immediately stops the cutting by the slitter, and thereafter the front end and the rear end. Edge margin cutter 20, 2
Inhibit the operation of 1. When the recording paper feed motor 11 detects an overload, it may be determined that the cutting is abnormal.

Further, as another example, when the upper rotary blades 62 and 63 are retracted to the retracted position while cutting by the both-side margin cutters 28 is interrupted, the upper rotary blades 62 and 63 are separated from the recording paper 2 and dust. There is a possibility that the recording paper 2 may be broken by being caught between the pieces. In order to prevent this, the recording paper 2 may be returned in the reverse direction B by a predetermined amount, and then the upper rotary blades 62 and 63 may be retracted to the retracted position. Further, in the margin cutters 28 on both sides, the recording paper 2 is cut in the transport direction by the transporting force of the recording paper 2 and the rotational force of the upper and lower rotary blades 62 to 65, but the upper and lower rotary blades 62 to 65 are cut. Instead, a cutter blade that does not rotate may be arranged above, below, or above and below the transport path, and the recording paper 2 may be cut in the transport direction using only the transport force of the recording paper 2.

In the above-described embodiment, the cutter for cutting the recording paper 2 in the width direction is constituted by the two cutters, the front end margin cutter 21 and the rear end margin cutter 21, but one of these is omitted and one cutter is omitted. The front and rear margins may be cut by a cutter. Further, even when the recording paper in a roll form is used, the rear end margin can be cut together by the cutting to be cut into a sheet, so that one front end and the rear end margin cutter can be shared.

In the above embodiment, the discharge roller pair 29 is incorporated in the both-side margin cutter 28. However, the present invention does not necessarily need to incorporate the discharge roller pair 29.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, when margin cutting is selected, a simulated image after the cutting may be displayed on a display or the like so that the operator can confirm it. In this case, if you are dissatisfied with the finish,
After the image editing, the simulated image is displayed again, and the operator confirms it. After confirmation, printing and cutting are performed.

In the above embodiment, the thermal printer of the thermal recording type has been described as an example. However, the present invention can also be applied to a thermal transfer type using an ink ribbon or an ink sheet. Further, the present invention can be applied to a monochrome thermal printer other than the color thermal printer. Further, the present invention may be applied to other printers such as an ink dot system.

Next, another embodiment of the front and rear end margin cutters and the both side end margin cutters will be described. The front and rear end margin cutters and both side margin margin cutters are integrally incorporated as a cutter unit 150 as shown in FIG. In addition to the front and rear margin cutters 151 and the side margin margin cutters 152, the cutter unit 150 also integrally incorporates a drive mechanism 153 for driving these with a single drive source. The drive mechanism 153 includes a single motor 154, a transmission switching mechanism 155, and a drive conversion mechanism 15, as shown in FIG.
6 and a moving mechanism 157.

The transmission switching mechanism 155 transmits the drive of the motor 154 to one of the drive conversion mechanism 156 and the moving mechanism 157 according to the rotation direction. Drive conversion mechanism 1
56 converts the one-way rotational drive of the motor 154 into a reciprocating linear motion. The front and rear margin cutters 151 cut the front and rear margins of the recording paper 2 using the reciprocating linear movement. The moving mechanism 157 inputs the rotational driving in the other direction of the motor 154 to the mounting shaft 81 (see FIG. 5) of the both-side margin cutter 28 and moves the pair of upper rotary blades 62 and 63 to either the cut position or the retracted position. Move to one position. The structure of the both-side margin cutters 152 is the same as that of the both-side margin cutters 28 described with reference to FIG.
Since the structure is the same as that of FIG.

The front and rear margin cutters 151 include a front margin cutter 158 and a rear margin cutter 159. The front end margin cutter 158 includes a first fixed blade 161 and a first disk blade 162. Further, the rear end margin cutter 159 is disposed on the downstream side in the forward feed with respect to the front end margin cutter 151, and the second fixed blade 163 and the second
And the disk blade 164 of the above. The first and second disk blades 161 and 162 are supported together by the tool rest 165, and the tool rest 165 moves in the width direction of the recording paper 2 by reciprocating motion obtained from the drive conversion mechanism 156. ,
Move together in this direction. In this embodiment,
The first and second disk blades 162, 164 are placed below the conveyance path 2a of the recording paper 2, and the first and second fixed blades 161, 1
63 are arranged above the transport path 2a.

A pair of position sensors 166 and 167 are arranged above the transport path 2a. The position sensor 167 on the upstream side of the forward feed of the recording paper 2 detects the rear end of the recording paper 2. This position sensor 16
When the trailing edge of the recording paper 2 is detected, the scheduled cutting position of the trailing edge margin of the recording paper 2 matches the cutting position of the second disk blade 164. At this time, there is no recording paper 2 at the cut position of the first disk blade 162 for cutting the front margin.

The downstream position sensor 166 detects the front end of the recording paper 2. When the position sensor 166 detects the front end of the recording paper 2, the expected cutting position of the front end margin of the recording paper 2 matches the cutting position of the first disk blade 162. At this time, there is no recording paper 2 at the cutting position of the second disk blade 164 that cuts the trailing margin.

When cutting the front margin, the control unit 168 monitors the position sensor 166 while driving the recording paper feed motor 11 to convey the recording paper 2 in the forward direction. When the front end of the recording paper is detected, the driving of the recording paper feed motor 11 is stopped. When the trailing edge margin is subsequently cut, the position sensor 167 is monitored, and when the position sensor 167 detects the trailing edge of the recording sheet 2, the driving of the recording sheet feed motor 11 is stopped.

As shown in FIG. 14, the transmission switching mechanism 155 includes a planetary gear mechanism 170, a both-side end margin cutter transmission system 171 composed of a gear train and a belt transmission, and a front and rear end margin cutter transmission system 172. . Planetary gear mechanism 170
The drive of the motor 154 is transmitted to the sun gear 174. The planetary gear 175 revolves around the sun gear 174 so that the input gear 1 of the marginal cutter transmission system 171 on both sides is rotated.
71a and the input gear 17 of the front and rear margin cutter transmission system 172
2a. As a result, the marginal cutter transmission system 171 and the front and rear margin cutter transmission systems 17
2, the drive corresponding to the rotation direction of the motor 154 is input. Hereinafter, the front and rear end margin cutter transmission system 172
In the following description, the rotation direction of the motor 154 for transmitting the drive to the front side is forward rotation, and the rotation direction for transmitting the drive to the both-side margin cutter transmission system 171 is reverse rotation.

As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the tool rest 165 is arranged in a posture in which the open side having a U-shaped cross section faces downward. The tool rest 165 is used to guide the recording paper 2
Are movably guided in the width direction. The guide means includes a pair of pieces 177, 178 having an L-shaped cross section attached to both sides of the tool rest 165, and a pair of tool rest guides 179, 180 engaged with the pieces 177, 178. The tool rest guides 179 and 180 are attached to the inner walls of a pair of L-shaped plates 181 and 182 arranged in both forms in the transport direction of the recording paper 2. A pair of L-shaped plates 181, 182
Are fixed to the base plate 189 with the short pieces facing each other. The pair of L-shaped plates 181 and 182 include
A pair of fixed blades 161 and 163 are formed on the distal end edge of the short piece, respectively. The pair of fixed blades 161 and 163 have their cutting edges facing each other.

The tool rest 165 is integrally formed with a pair of support plates 183 and 184 on both sides of the transport path 2a. The second disk blade 26 is provided on the support plate 183 on the downstream side of the forward feed.
4 and the first disk blade 1 on the support plate 184 on the upstream side.
62 are attached rotatably. The first and second disk blades 16 are mounted on the pair of support plates 183 and 184.
Protective covers 185 and 186 are also attached to cover 2,164 from below.

The first and second disk blades 161 and 164 are
The blades of the fixed blades 161 and 163 are in contact with each other.
A pair of support plates 183, 184 and a protective cover 185, 1
86 has a notch 18 on the side where the tool rest 165 moves forward.
7,188 are provided. A pair of disk blades 162,1
64 cuts the recording paper 2 between the pair of fixed blades 161 and 163 through the notches 187 and 188.

An opening 190 exposing the upper surface of the tool rest 165 is formed in the base plate 189. This opening 19
Numeral 0 is formed to have a length that allows the movement of the tool rest 165, and the tool rest 165 also serves to prevent the tool rest 165 from coming off. The base plate 189 has a pair of switches 19
1, 192 are attached at predetermined intervals in the width direction of the recording paper 2. The switch pieces of the pair of switches 191 and 192 enter the moving path of the tool rest 165. The first switch 191 detects that the tool rest 165 has moved to a standby position that does not hinder the passage of the recording paper 2, and controls the controller 168.
A signal to that effect. The second switch 192 detects that the tool post 165 has overrun from the cutting completion position and sends a signal to the control unit 168 to urgently stop driving the motor 154. The control unit 168 controls driving of the motor 24 according to signals from the first and second switches 191 and 192.

The drive conversion mechanism 156 includes a pair of belt wheels 1
As shown in FIG. 17, a pair of elastic claws 197 and 198 and a sector gear 1 are provided in addition to the toothed belts 94 and 195 and the toothed belt 196.
99, a belt guide plate 200, and a pair of stoppers 19
0a, 190b and the like. These also constitute the return means of the present invention. A pair of belt wheels 194,
195 are arranged on both sides of the recording paper 2 in the width direction.
These belt wheels 194 and 195 have a toothed belt 19.
Reference numeral 6 denotes a recording paper 2 which is hung in parallel along the width direction of the recording paper 2. The belt 196 passes through the inside of the tool post 165 having a U-shaped cross section. The drive of the output gear 172a of the front and rear end margin transmission system 172 described with reference to FIG. Thus, the belt wheels 194 and 195 rotate the toothed belt 196 in one direction.

The sector gear 199 has a tool rest 16 such that the tooth portion 199a meshes with one of the backward belt 196a and the forward belt 196b of the toothed belt 196.
5 is rotatably attached to a shaft 165a. The belt guide plate 200 has a U-shaped cross section, and is pressed into the shaft 165a from above the sector gear 199 to prevent the sector gear 199 from coming off the shaft. At 200b, the backward belt 196a or the forward belt 196b is
9 to prevent it from escaping from the tooth portion 199a.

The sector gear 199 has a pair of fixed claws 19.
9b and 199c are formed. A pair of fixed claws 199
b and 199c are provided at rotationally symmetric positions about the shaft 165a, respectively. When the sector gear 199 meshes with the backward belt 196a or the forward belt 196b, a pair of elastic claws 197 and 198 are formed. Engage with either one of them. The pair of elastic claws 197 and 198 are
a is provided on the inner surface of the tool rest 165 in which the backward movement belt 196 a or the forward movement belt 1 is formed in cooperation with the pair of fixed claws 199 b and 199 c of the sector gear 199.
The movement of 96b is transmitted to the tool rest 165.

The pair of elastic claws 197 and 198 are mounted on the tool rest 1.
When a load is applied to the movement of the movable member 65, it is elastically deformed and disengaged from the pair of fixed claws 199b and 199c. When these engagements are released, as shown in FIGS. 18 and 19,
The sector gear 199 rotates along the moving direction of the toothed belt 196 on the side where the tooth portion 199a meshes. And
When the tooth portion 199a meshes with the opposite toothed belt 196, the pair of elastic claws 197 and 198 and the pair of fixed claws 1
99b and 199c engage. Thereby, the tool post 1
65 moves in the opposite direction.

A pair of stoppers 190a, 190b
It is formed at both edges of the opening 190 of the base plate 189 along the width direction of the recording paper 2. When the tool post 165 moves to the standby position, the tool post 165 is
0a, and contacts the stopper 190b when moved to the cutting completion position. Even when the tool rest 165 comes into contact with the pair of stoppers 190a and 190b, the pair of elastic claws 197 and 198 are elastically deformed and the fixed claws 199 are formed.
b, 199c is released.

The pair of elastic claws 197 and 198 are
Is not elastically deformed when a load is cut by one of the disk blades 162 (164), but is elastically deformed when the load exceeds the reference load. Therefore, when a load larger than the reference load is detected, the tool rest 165 is immediately returned to the standby position.

By incorporating the return means as described above,
For example, when the stop position of the recording paper 2 is shifted at the time of cutting the front or rear margin, and the recording paper 2 stops at both cut positions of the disk blades 162 and 164, the pair of disk blades 16
2 and 164 move together, there is a disadvantage that the recording paper 2 is cut by both the disk blades 162 and 164, whereas in this embodiment both the disk blades 162 and 164 are cut.
When the cutting is performed on the recording paper 2 at 164, a load greater than the reference load is generated for the movement of the tool rest 165, so that the tool rest 165 is immediately returned to the standby position. Therefore, the above-described inconvenience can be prevented.

Also, when the recording paper 2 fed multiple sheets is cut, or when one or both of the pair of disk blades 162 and 164 are damaged for some reason, the movement of the tool post 165 can be prevented. Since a large load is applied, the disk blade 16
Inconveniences such as jamming of the recording paper 2 caused by the troubles 2 and 164 can also be prevented.

Further, when the above-mentioned inconvenience occurs at the time of cutting the front end margin, the tool rest 165 returns to the standby position earlier than when it is normally cut. Using this point, the control unit 168 in this embodiment also measures the opening and closing of the switch 191 for detecting the standby position, and compares the measured value with a predetermined reference value at the time of normal disconnection. It is possible to specify whether the cutting is normal or abnormal, and when it is determined that the cutting is abnormal, recording is performed so that the subsequent cutting of the margins on both sides and the cutting of the rear end are stopped and the recording paper 2 is discharged as it is. The driving of the paper feed motor 11 and the motor 154 is controlled.

Next, the operation of the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 12 to 19 will be described. In the initial state of the printer, the pair of disk blades 162 and 164 have moved to a standby position where they do not prevent the recording paper 2 from passing, and the upper rotating blades 62 and 63 of the margin cutter 152 on both sides also move the recording paper 2. Each is retracted to the outside in the width direction.

Before starting printing, the cut selection switch 201 is used to selectively input whether or not margin cutting is possible. After selecting whether or not to cut margins, the print button 202 is operated. As a result, the control unit 168 outputs 3
The recording paper feed motor 11 and the recording section (such as the thermal head described with reference to FIG. 1) are controlled so that a full-color image is formed in color plane order. Then, after the completion of the three-color-sequential recording, the recording paper 2 after the image recording is turned back in the reverse direction B by the transport roller pair 10, and the leading end of the recording paper 2 is moved from the transport path 2 a inside the cutter unit 150. Evacuate.

Next, the control section 168 controls the upper rotary blades 62 and 63 of the both-side margin cutter 152 to be set at the cutting position. In this control, first, the motor 154 is driven to rotate in the reverse direction. This drive is performed on both sides of the margin cutter transmission system 17.
1 and is input to the mounting shaft 81 and transmitted to the cam plate 78. The cam plate 78 rotates by a predetermined amount in one direction.
By this rotation, the upper rotary blades 62 and 63 move to the cutting position.

When the setting of the both-side margin cutters 152 at the cutting position is completed, the control unit 168 causes the recording paper feed motor 1 to rotate.
1 is driven to feed the recording paper 2 in the forward direction A. Then, when the leading end of the recording paper 2 is detected by the first position sensor 166, the control unit 168 stops driving the recording paper feed motor 11. Thus, the scheduled cutting position of the front end margin of the recording paper 2 matches the cutting position of the first disk blade 162.

Then, the motor 154 is driven forward. As a result, the planetary gear 175 meshes with the front and rear end margin cutter transmission system 170, and the toothed belt 196 is rotated in one direction. The sector gear 199 is initially in a state in which the tooth portion 199a meshes with the backward movement belt 196a, and the tool rest 165 is first moved in the backward movement direction. As soon as the tool rest 165 moves, it comes into contact with the stopper 190a on the standby position side. Thereby, the elastic claws 19
7, 198 are elastically deformed and the engagement with the fixed claws 199b, 199c is released, and the sector gear 199 shown in FIG. 18 rotates counterclockwise about the shaft 165a.

Then, the tooth portion 199a of the sector gear 199
Is engaged with the forward belt 196b, and the fixed claws 199b and 199c are engaged with the elastic claws 197 and 198. As a result, the tool rest 165 moves in the same direction as the forward movement belt 196b, that is, in the forward movement direction, and the pair of disk blades 162, 164 move together in the same direction. Then, during the forward movement from the standby position to the cutting completion position, the first
The disk blade 162 cuts the recording paper 2 in the width direction with the fixed blade 161 to separate the front margin. At this time, the second disk blade 164 does not cut the recording paper 2 because the recording paper 2 does not exist at the cut position.

The cutting of the front margin is continued as the tool rest 165 moves toward the cutting completion position, and the cutting of the front margin is completed when reaching the cutting completion position. Tool post 1
When 65 reaches the cutting completion position, the opposite stopper 1
90b. Thereby, the elastic claws 197, 198
Are elastically deformed, and the engagement with the fixed claws 199b and 199c is released. When the engagement is released, the sector gear 199 shown in FIG. 18 rotates counterclockwise, and the tooth portion 199a meshes with the return belt 196a. At this time, the fixed claws 199
b, 199c engage the elastic claws 197, 198, and the rotation of the sector gear 199 is prevented. Thereby, the tool post 1
65 moves in the backward direction from the cutting completion position to the standby position. When reaching the standby position, the first switch 1
91 is turned ON. By receiving this signal, the control unit 16
8 stops driving the motor 154. As a result, the tool rest 165 returns to the standby position.

Thus, in this embodiment, the tool rest 16
Stopper 19 that positively applies load when returning 5
By providing 0b, the tool rest can be reciprocated only by rotating the motor 154 in one direction using a return means for preventing inconvenience. Thus, the reverse drive of the motor 154 can be used by another mechanism.

After the operation of the front and rear margin cutter 151 is completed, the control unit 168 drives the recording paper feed motor 11 to
The recording paper 2 is transported in the forward direction. During the conveyance, the leading end of the recording paper 2 is nipped by the discharge roller pair 29, and the margins at both ends of the recording paper 2 are cut by the upper and lower rotary blades 62 to 65 on both sides of the margin cutter 22. Thereafter, when the rear end of the recording paper 2 is detected by the second position sensor 167,
The control unit 168 stops driving the recording paper feed motor 11. As a result, the cut position of the second disk blade 164 matches the cut position of the rear end margin of the recording paper 2. Thereafter, the control unit 168 drives the motor 154 to rotate in the normal direction, and causes the tool rest 165 to make one reciprocating motion in the same manner as described above. Thereby, the first
And the second disk blades 162 and 164 move together with the tool rest 165, and the second disk blade 164 cuts the trailing edge margin of the recording paper 2 with the fixed blade 163 during the forward movement. I do. At this time, the first disk blade 162 does not cut the recording paper 2.

After the second operation of the front and rear margin cutters 151 is completed, the control unit 168 drives the recording paper feed motor 11 again. When the recording paper 2 is conveyed by the discharge roller pair 29, cutting of the left and right margins is continued by the upper and lower rotary blades 62 to 65. The recording paper 2 whose front, rear, left and right margins have been cut is discharged to the outside from a discharge port 30 by a discharge roller pair 29. After the recording paper 2 is discharged, the motor 168
Is driven in reverse to move the upper rotary blades 62 and 63 to the retracted position. Thus, preparations for the next printing operation are completed.

If no margin cutting is selected by the cut selection switch 202, the driving of the recording paper feed motor 11 is continued after the image is recorded to discharge the recording paper 2 to the discharge roller pair 2.
9 discharges from the discharge port 30 to the outside. When passing through the cutter unit 150, the margin cutters 15 on both sides are used.
Since the two pairs of upper rotary blades 62 and 63 are retracted on both outer sides in the width direction of the recording paper 2, the passage of the recording paper 2 is not prevented.

When cutting the front or rear margin, for example, if the recording paper 2 is shifted and stopped so as to straddle both cut positions of the pair of disk blades 162 and 164, the pair of disk blades 62 , 164 move together, there is a disadvantage that the recording paper 2 is cut by both the disk blades 162, 164. However, in this embodiment, when both of the pair of disk blades 162 and 164 slightly cut into the recording paper 2, the returning means detects a large load on the tool rest 165, so that the tool rest 165 immediately waits. Returned to position,
Therefore, the above-mentioned inconvenience can be prevented.

In the above embodiment, the front and rear margin cutters 15 are used.
Although the cutter unit 150 has the cutter unit 150 and the both-side margin cutters 152 integrally incorporated therein, for example, the both-side margin cutters 152 may be omitted. In this case, the front and rear end margin cutters can use either forward or reverse rotation of the motor 154, so that the tool post can be moved from the standby position to the cutting completion position by one-way driving of the motor, and by the reverse rotation drive. A mechanism for moving from the cutting completion position to the standby position may be employed.

As the return mechanism in this case, a mechanism that detects the load generated on the tool post from the value of the current flowing through the motor can be used. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG.
Move back. The overload of the motor 220 is detected by the current detecting means 2
It is detected at 21. The current detecting means 221
The current flowing through 0 is measured, and the value is sent to the control unit 223 as a digital signal. The control unit 223 includes the motor driver 22
2 to control the driving of the motor 220, monitor the current value obtained from the current detecting means 221, and make the motor driver 222 reverse the driving of the motor 220 when the current value exceeds a reference range. Control. Even in such an electric configuration, when the recording paper 2 is cut by only one of the first and second disk blades 162 and 164 as in the above-described embodiment, the current value is in a reference range. In this case, cutting can be performed normally, and when one sheet of recording paper 2 is cut by both of the disk blades 162 and 164, and when one or both of the disk blades 162 , 164, since the current value exceeds the reference range, the control unit 223 returns the tool rest to the standby position.

[0115]

As described above, in the printer with the cutter according to the first aspect, the slitter for cutting the recording paper in the conveying direction is retracted in the width direction of the recording paper. Since the space such as the transport drive system arranged outside in the width direction can be used as a retreat space, the apparatus itself can be made compact. Moreover, unlike the flip-up method described in the prior art, the thickness of the device can be reduced, and the entire device can be made compact. Further, in the printer with the cutter according to the third aspect, since the cutting abnormality is detected and the subsequent cutting operation is prohibited, the jam of the recording paper due to the cutting can be reliably prevented.

In the printer with the cutter according to the fifth aspect,
A first disk blade for cutting the front margin and a second disk blade for cutting the rear margin are integrally supported by a tool rest, and the first and second blades are supported.
Are moved together, only one drive source is required to move the tool rest, and therefore, cost reduction can be achieved. In addition, since the first and second disk blades are integrally supported, the number of tool rests can be reduced as compared with an example in which the first and second disk blades are separately arranged, so that the apparatus itself can be made compact. Further, in the printer with the cutter according to the sixth aspect, since the return means is provided, it is inconvenient to cut one sheet of recording paper with both of the pair of disk blades, and one or both of the two or more overlapping sheets of recording paper are cut. Inconvenience of cutting with the disk blade can be prevented beforehand.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a printer with a cutter according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a main part of a front end margin cutter for cutting a recording sheet in a width direction. .

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view schematically showing a front end margin cutter.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view schematically showing a rear end margin cutter.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a main part of a margin cutter on both sides for cutting a recording sheet in a conveying direction.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing the margin cutters on both sides in a state where the upper rotary blade is moved to a cutting position.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the margin cutters on both sides in a state where the upper rotary blade has been moved to a retracted position.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing a main part of a blade slide member and a support member.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged sectional view showing a main part of a margin cutter on both sides in a state where the upper rotary blade is moved to a cutting position.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory view schematically showing a safety mechanism for interrupting cutting when a cutting abnormality is detected.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an operation procedure of the printer with a cutter.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing another embodiment using a cutter unit in which front and rear end margin cutters and both side margin margin cutters are integrated.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an outline of a cutter unit.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an outline of a driving mechanism of the cutter unit.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing a main part of a front and rear end margin cutter of the cutter unit.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of a front and rear end margin cutter.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing a main part of a drive conversion mechanism of a front and rear end margin cutter and return means.

FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the drive conversion mechanism of the front and rear end margin cutter and the return means, and shows a state in which the tool rest is moved in the backward movement direction.

FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the drive conversion mechanism of the front and rear end margin cutter and the return means, and shows a state in which the tool rest is moved in the forward movement direction.

FIG. 20 is a block diagram showing another embodiment in which the return means has an electrical configuration.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Recording Paper 7 Thermal Head 10 Conveyance Roller Pair 14,22 Position Sensor 16 Optical Fuser 20,158 Front Edge Cutter 21,159 Rear Edge Cutter 28,152 Both Sides Edge Cutter (Slitter) 29 Ejection Roller Pair 62,63 Rotary blade 64, 65 Lower rotary blade 69, 70 Support block 90, 91 Separation guide 150 Cutter unit

Claims (6)

[Claims] A cutter configured to cut a recording sheet in a width direction while the conveyance is stopped; and a cutter disposed upstream or downstream in a recording sheet conveyance direction with respect to the cutter, using a conveyance force of the recording sheet. A slitter for cutting the recording paper in the transport direction; and a width of the recording paper between a cutting position for cutting the width of the recording paper to a predetermined width and a retreat position for retreating to an outer position in the width direction of the recording paper. Moving means for moving in the direction, a selection operation member provided so as to be operable externally, and selecting whether or not to cut a margin generated after recording an image on the recording paper; and a driving position of the moving means to cut the slitter. The cutting operation mode allows the cutter to operate, and the slitter moves to the retracted position, and the cutting operation is prohibited. Yes Cutter with printer, characterized in that a control unit that selectively switches Te. 2. The cutter according to claim 1, wherein the cutter is arranged on a front end margin cutter for cutting a front end margin in a recording paper conveyance direction, and on a downstream side or a conveyance direction with respect to the front end margin cutter. 2. The printer with a cutter according to claim 1, further comprising a rear end margin cutter for cutting an edge margin. 3. A printer with a cutter according to claim 1, further comprising a cutting operation prohibiting unit that detects a cutting abnormality of the cutter and holds the slitter at a retracted position when the cutting abnormality is detected. . 4. The cutter has a disk blade that reciprocates once in the width direction of the recording paper, and the cutting abnormality detecting means includes:
4. The printer with a cutter according to claim 3, wherein it is determined whether or not the cutting is abnormal based on one reciprocating movement time of the disk blade. 5. The cutter according to claim 1, wherein the cutter includes a first disc blade provided on the front margin cutter, a second disc blade provided on the rear margin cutter, and the first and second circles. A tool post integrally supporting the plate blade, a moving means for reciprocating the tool post between a standby position and a cutting completion position, and a cutting position of a front margin of the recording paper when cutting the front margin. 1
Control means for controlling the conveyance of the recording paper so that the cutting position of the trailing edge margin of the recording paper coincides with the cutting position of the second disk blade when cutting the trailing edge margin when cutting the trailing edge margin, respectively. 4. The printer with a cutter according to claim 2, wherein the printer comprises: 6. The load detecting means detects a load applied to the first and second disk blades when the moving means moves the tool rest toward the cutting completion position, and detects the load applied to the first disk blade. 6. The printing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a return unit that returns the tool post to the standby position when the load is greater than the load when cutting the recording paper at one of the second disk blades. Printer with cutter.