JP2001219610A - Sheet cutter and printer with cutter - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To cut off the circumferential margin of the image recording area on a recording sheet on which an image is recorded once. SOLUTION: When print operation is started while making a selection between marginal and marginless, an image is recorded at a recording section 12 on a new recording sheet 2 fed from a first sheet feed section 3. The recording sheet 2 is then carried to a cutter section 14 and discharged without cutting the margin when marginal is selected. When margin is removed from a recording sheet 2 recorded once with an image by selecting marginal, that recording sheet 2 is set at a second sheet feed section 8. The recording sheet 2 fed from the second sheet feed section 8 is not passed through the recording section 12 but carried to the cutter section 14 where margin is cut off before the recording sheet 2 is discharged.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a sheet cutting apparatus for cutting a margin around an image recording area recorded on recording paper and a printer with a cutter.

[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 the capstan 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, a printer may be provided with a front and rear margin cutter for cutting the recording paper in the width direction, a slitter for cutting the recording paper in the transport direction and cutting the margins on both sides, and the like. Then, when the presence or absence of margin cutting is selectively performed, a mode selection operation unit for selecting whether or not margin cutting is performed when printing is provided.

[0005]

However, according to the above-described configuration, there are only two modes, that is, there is no margin for cutting the margin after printing and there is a margin for not cutting the margin. For this reason, when it is desired to cut the margins of the recording paper discharged after selecting the presence of the margin once, the only option is to select the no margin cutting again and print the same pattern. For this reason, there is a waste of newly using recording paper. In addition, there is a disadvantage that it takes time since reprinting is performed one by one.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of the present invention is to provide a sheet cutting apparatus and a printer with a cutter, which can make recording paper discharged in a state with margins have no margin later. I do.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sheet cutting apparatus for feeding a recording sheet on which an image is recorded, and a sheet feeding section for feeding a recording sheet on which the image is recorded. And a cutter section for cutting a margin around the recording area. Further, in the sheet cutting apparatus according to the second aspect, the cutter according to the first aspect includes a front and rear end margin cutter that cuts margins before and after the recording paper in the conveying direction, and a both side margin cutter that cuts both end margins of the recording paper. It is what constituted.

In the printer with the cutter according to the third aspect,
No print margin mode, in which a new recording paper is fed and the image is recorded in the recording unit and then the margin is cut off, and the margin is not cut after a new recording paper is fed and the image is recorded in the recording unit. Mode selection means for selecting one of a print margin mode and a post-margin cut processing mode for feeding recording paper on which an image has been recorded and cutting off the margin; no print margin is selected by the mode selection means In the mode, after the image is recorded in the recording unit, the margin is cut by the cutter unit and then discharged, and in the mode with print margin, the image is recorded in the recording unit and then discharged as it is,
Furthermore, in the post-margin-cut processing mode, there is provided control means for controlling so that the margin is cut by the cutter unit and then discharged without recording the image in the recording unit.

In the printer with a cutter according to the fourth aspect,
A cutter according to claim 3 is constituted by a front and rear end margin cutter for cutting margins before and after in the transport direction of the recording paper, and a both side margin cutter for cutting both end margins of the recording paper. Also, in the printer with a cutter according to the fifth aspect, the first paper supply unit that supplies the recording paper on which the image is not recorded and the second paper supply unit that supplies the recording paper on which the image is recorded are provided. Item 3
The sheet feeder described above is configured.

In a printer with a cutter according to claim 6,
The front and rear margin cutters are configured as cutters that move between a retracted position that does not hinder the conveyance of the recording paper and a cutting completion position where the recording paper is cut in the width direction, and the both side margin cutters are the front and rear margins. A slitter that is disposed upstream or downstream in the recording paper transport direction with respect to the cutter, and that cuts the recording paper in the transport direction using the recording paper transport force; and that the width of the recording paper is set to a predetermined width. Moving means for moving the slitter in the width direction of the recording paper between a cutting position for cutting and a retreat position for retreating to an outer position in the width direction of the recording paper, and driving the moving means to drive the slitter To the cutting position, and one of a cutting mode that allows the operation of the cutter and a non-cutting mode that moves the slitter to the retracted position and prohibits the operation of the cutter,
The control means selectively switches according to the operation of the mode selection means.

[0011]

FIG. 1 schematically shows a printer with a cutter embodying the present invention. In this printer, a sheet of color thermosensitive recording paper (hereinafter, referred to as “recording paper”) 2 is used. In addition to the two modes of no print margin where the margin is cut after recording the image and print margin where the margin is not cut after recording the image,
One of the three modes, that is, the post-margin-cut processing for feeding the recording paper on which the image is recorded in the state with the margin and cutting the margin, is selected.

The recording paper 2 is fed from the first paper feed unit 3 in the reverse direction shown in FIG. 1 and sent to the recording unit transport path 5 via the paper feed path 4 where the recording unit 12 After the image recording is performed, the paper is sent in the forward direction and branched into the cutter transport path 6, the margin is cut by the cutter unit 14, and then the paper is discharged from the discharge port 7. The paper feed path 4 and the cutter feed path 6 are arranged on the same side of the printer (the right side shown in FIG. 1), and the lower side becomes the first paper feeder 3 and the upper side becomes the discharge port 7. Each is branched from the transport path 5. The cassette 10 is attached to the first paper supply unit 3. The cassette 10 has new recording paper 2 on which no image is recorded.
Are stacked and stored. The first paper feed unit 3 feeds the recording paper 2 stored in the cassette 10 with the paper feed roller 11. The cutter unit 14 cuts a margin around the image recording area of the recording paper 2.

On the opposite side of the first paper supply unit 3, a second paper supply unit 8 is provided. The second paper feed unit 8 is a manual paper feed, and includes a paper detection sensor 8a, a paper feed roller 8
b and a paper receiving section (not shown). The paper detection sensor 8a detects that the recording paper 2 has been set in the paper receiving portion when the post-margin-cut processing mode is selected. The paper feed roller 8b feeds the set recording paper 2 on which an image has been recorded toward the cutter unit 14 one by one. The recording paper 2 on which the image has been recorded is a recording paper that has been previously discharged from the printer after the image has been recorded without cutting the margins. If the size of the recording paper and the size of the image recording area match, margin cutting can be performed on recording paper recorded by another printer.

Between the second paper feed unit 8 and the cutter unit 14,
A manual paper feed path 9 is provided. The manual paper feed conveyance path 9 directly conveys the image-recorded recording paper 2 to the cutter unit 14 without passing through the recording unit 12.

The cassette 10 is provided with a tray portion 10a and a dust receiving portion 10b. The tray unit 10a
The recording paper 2 discharged to the outside through the discharge port 7 is received.
The dust receiving portion 10b is arranged below the tray portion 10a,
It receives debris coming out of the cutter unit 14. This trash receptacle 1
0b is the cassette 10 in the recording paper storage chamber 1 inside the printer.
When inserted into the printer and set in the printer, the printer enters the printer together.

The recording unit 12 employs a color thermal recording system for recording a color image on recording paper in three-sided order. As shown in FIG. 2, a thermal head 15 and a platen roller 16 are arranged on the upstream side of the recording paper transport path 5 in the forward direction. The thermal head 15 is provided with a heating element array 15a in which a large number of heating elements are arranged in a line. The thermal head 15 swings about a support shaft 15b as a fulcrum between a printing position where the recording paper 2 is pressed on the platen roller 16 and a retracted position away from the platen roller 16.

As is well known, the recording paper 2 has a cyan thermosensitive coloring layer, a magenta thermosensitive coloring layer, and a yellow thermosensitive coloring layer sequentially formed 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.

A transport roller pair 18 for transporting the recording paper 2 is disposed downstream of the thermal head 7 in the forward direction. The transport roller pair 18 is a capstan roller 1
9 and a pinch roller 20 rotatable above the capstan roller 19. The capstan roller 19 is arranged below the recording paper 2 and is driven by a recording paper feed motor 21 composed of a pulse motor. The pinch roller 20 moves between a position distant from the capstan roller 19 and a pressed position. And
When the position sensor 22 detects the leading end of the recording paper 2, the conveyance roller pair 18 sandwiches the recording paper 2 by pressing the pinch roller 20 and rotates the capstan roller 19 to move the recording paper 2 from the paper supply side to the paper discharge side. The paper is alternately transported in the forward direction (direction of arrow A) and in the reverse direction (direction of arrow B) from the discharge side to the paper supply side.

An encoder 23 is provided on the rotation shaft of the pinch roller 20. The encoder 23 detects the number of rotations of the pinch roller 20 and measures the transport amount of the recording paper 2.

An optical fixing device 24 is arranged downstream of the forward feeding of the pair of conveying rollers 18. This optical fixing device 24
Is composed of a yellow ultraviolet lamp 25 that emits near ultraviolet light having an emission peak of 420 nm, a magenta ultraviolet lamp 26 that emits ultraviolet light having an emission peak of 365 nm, and a reflector 27 that covers the back of these lamps.

As shown in FIG. 3, the cutter unit 14 includes front and rear margin cutters 30 arranged on the upstream side of the forward feed, and both side margin cutters 31 arranged on the downstream side. It is a unit in which drive mechanisms 32 for driving by one drive source are integrally incorporated. The appearance of the cutter unit 14 is in the form shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3, the front and rear margin cutters 30 include a front margin cutter 33 and a rear margin cutter 34. The front end margin cutter 30 cuts the recording paper 2 along the width direction, and separates a downstream side margin (hereinafter, referred to as “front end margin”) of the forward feeding around the image recording area. The rear end margin cutter 34 cuts the recording paper 2 along the width direction,
Upstream margin for forward feed around image recording area
"Rear margin").

Downstream of the trailing edge cutter 34 in the forward direction with respect to the trailing edge cutter 34, both side edge margin cutters 31 are arranged.
A discharge roller pair 35 is incorporated in both side margin cutters 31. The discharge roller pair 35 is connected to the recording paper feed motor 2.
1, the recording paper 2 is nipped and conveyed in the forward direction. The both side margin cutters 31 cut the recording paper 2 conveyed by the discharge roller pair 35 in the conveyance direction, and simultaneously cut off the left and right margins around the image recording area in the width direction.

The drive mechanism 32 includes a single cutter motor 38, a transmission switching mechanism 39, a drive conversion mechanism 40, and a moving mechanism 41.

The transmission switching mechanism 39 controls the drive of the motor 38 in accordance with the rotation direction of the motor 38 and the drive mechanism 4 and the moving mechanism 4.
1 is transmitted. The drive conversion mechanism 40 converts the rotational drive in one direction of the motor 38 into a reciprocating linear motion.
The front and rear margin cutters 30 cut the front and rear margins of the recording paper 2 using the reciprocating linear movement. The moving mechanism 41 inputs the rotational drive of the motor 38 in the other direction to the both-side margin cutter 31.

The front margin cutter 33 includes a first fixed blade 44.
And the first disk blade 45. The rear end margin cutter 34 is disposed downstream of the front end margin cutter 33 in the forward direction with respect to the front end margin cutter 33, and includes a second fixed blade 46 and a second disk blade 47. The first and second disk blades 45 and 47 are supported together by a tool post 48, and the tool post 48 moves in the width direction of the recording paper 2 by reciprocating motion obtained from the drive conversion mechanism 40. Move together. In this embodiment, the first and second disk blades 4
5, 47 below the cutter transport path 6, and the first and second
The fixed blades 44 and 46 are arranged above the transport path 6 respectively.

A pair of position sensors 5 are provided above the transport path 6.
0 and 51 are arranged respectively. An upstream position sensor 50 for feeding the recording paper 2 in the forward direction detects the rear end of the recording paper 2. When the position sensor 50 detects the trailing edge of the recording sheet 2, the scheduled cutting position of the trailing edge margin of the recording sheet 2 is set to the second position.
Is adapted to the cutting position of the disk blade 47 of FIG. At this time, the recording paper 2 is not located at the cutting position of the first disk blade 45 for cutting the front end margin.

The downstream position sensor 51 detects the front end of the recording paper 2. When the position sensor 51 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 45. At this time, the recording paper 2 is not positioned at the cutting position of the second disk blade 47 for cutting the trailing margin.

The control unit 52 monitors the position sensor 51 while driving the recording paper feed motor 21 to convey the recording paper 2 in the forward direction when cutting the front margin, and the position sensor 51 monitors the recording paper 2. 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 50 is monitored, and when the position sensor 50 detects the trailing edge of the recording paper 2, the recording paper feed motor 11
Stop driving.

The control unit 52 is connected to a print button 54 and a mode selection switch 55 operably provided outside the printer. Mode selection switch 55
Are for selecting and operating any one of the three modes of the above-described print margin presence, print margin absence, and margin cut post-processing.

As shown in FIG. 5, the transmission switching mechanism 39 includes a planetary gear mechanism 57, a marginal cutter transmission system 58 composed of a gear train and belt transmission, and a front and rear end margin cutter transmission system 59. . The drive of the motor 38 is transmitted to the sun gear 60 to the planetary gear mechanism 57. Planetary gear 6
1 revolves around the sun gear 60, and meshes with one of the input gear 58a of the both-side end margin cutter transmission system 58 and the input gear 59a of the front and rear end margin cutter transmission system 59. As a result, the drive according to the rotation direction of the motor 38 is selectively input to the both-side end margin transmission system 58 and the front and rear end margin transmission system 59. Hereinafter, the rotation direction of the motor 38 for transmitting the drive to the front and rear end margin cutter transmission system 59 will be described as a forward rotation, and the rotation direction for transmitting the drive to the both side end margin cutter transmission system 58 will be described as a reverse rotation.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the tool rest 48 is arranged in such a manner that the open side having a U-shaped cross section faces downward. The tool rest 48 is guided movably in the width direction of the recording paper 2 by guide means. The guide means includes a pair of pieces 6 having an L-shaped cross section attached to both sides of the tool rest 48.
5 and 66, and a pair of tool rest guides 67 and 68 that engage with the pieces 65 and 66, respectively. Tool post guide 67,
Reference numeral 68 is attached to the inner walls of a pair of L-shaped plates 69 and 70 arranged on both sides of the recording paper 2 in the transport direction. The pair of L-shaped plates 69, 70 are mounted on the base plate 7 with the short pieces facing each other.
1, respectively. This pair of L-shaped plates 69,
In 70, a pair of fixed blades 44 and 46 are formed on the leading edge of the short piece, respectively. The pair of fixed blades 44 and 45 have blade edges facing each other.

A pair of support plates 73 and 74 projecting downward from the cutter transport path 6 are formed integrally with the tool rest 48. A second disk blade 47 is rotatably mounted on the downstream support plate 73 of the forward feed, and a first disk blade 45 is rotatably mounted on the upstream support plate 74. Protective covers 75 and 76 that cover the first and second disk blades 45 and 47 from below are also attached to the pair of support plates 73 and 74, respectively.

The first and second disk blades 45 and 47 are in contact with the cutting edges of the fixed blades 44 and 46 by the bias of the spring 72, respectively. A pair of support plates 73 and 74 and a protective cover 7
5 and 76 have cutouts 7 on the side where the tool rest 48 moves forward.
7, 78 are provided. A pair of disk blades 45, 47
Are provided with a pair of fixed blades 44, 4 through notches 77, 78.
6, the recording paper 2 is cut.

An opening 80 exposing the upper surface of the tool rest 48 is formed in the base plate 71. The opening 80 is formed to have a length that allows the tool rest 48 to move, and also serves to prevent the tool rest 48 from slipping upward. On the base plate 71, a pair of switches 81 and 82
Are mounted at predetermined intervals in the width direction. The switch pieces of the pair of switches 81 and 82 have entered the moving path of the tool rest 48. The first switch 81 detects that the tool rest 48 has moved to a standby position that does not prevent the recording paper 2 from passing, and sends a signal to that effect to the control unit 52. The second switch 82 detects that the tool post 48 has overrun from the cutting completion position, and sends a signal to the control unit 52 for urgently stopping the driving of the motor 38. The control unit 52 controls the motor 3 according to signals from the first and second switches 81 and 82.
8 is controlled.

The drive conversion mechanism 40 includes a pair of belt wheels 8.
8, a pair of elastic claws 87 and 88, a sector gear 89, a belt guide plate 90, a pair of stoppers 80a and 80b, and the like, as shown in FIG. The pair of belt wheels 84 and 85 are arranged on both sides of the recording paper 2 in the width direction. A toothed belt 86 is hung parallel to these belt wheels 84 and 85. The belt 86 passes through the inside of the tool rest 48 having a U-shaped cross section. The drive of the input gear 59a of the front and rear end margin transmission system 59 described with reference to FIG. Thereby, the belt wheels 84 and 85 rotate the toothed belt 86 in one direction.

The sector gear 89 is rotatable about a shaft 91 provided on the tool rest 48 so that the teeth 89a mesh with one of the backward belt 86a and the forward belt 86b of the toothed belt 86. Attached to. The belt guide plate 90 has a U-shaped cross section. The belt guide plate 90 is pressed into the shaft 91 from above the sector gear 89 to prevent the sector gear 89 from coming off the shaft, and to form both ends 90a, 9
0b acts to prevent the backward belt 86a or the forward belt 86b from escaping from the teeth 89a of the sector gear 89.

A pair of fixed claws 89b and 89c are formed on the side surface of the sector gear 89. A pair of fixed claws 89
b and 89c are provided at rotationally symmetric positions about the shaft 91, respectively.
6a or engages with one of the pair of elastic claws 87 and 88 when engaged with the forward belt 86b. The pair of elastic claws 87 and 88 are provided with a pair of fixed claws 8 of the tool post 48.
9b, 89c, and is provided on the surface facing the pair of fixed claws 89b, 89c of the sector gear 89 to transmit the movement of the backward belt 86a or the forward belt 86b to the tool rest 48. . Accordingly, the tool rest 48 reciprocates between the standby position set outside the width of the recording paper 2 and the cutting completion position set outside the width on the other side.

The pair of elastic claws 87 and 88 are elastically deformed when a load is applied to the movement of the tool post 48, and the pair of fixed claws 8
The engagement with 9b and 89c is released. When these engagements are released, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the sector gear 89 rotates along the moving direction of the toothed belt 86 on the side where the teeth 89a mesh. When the teeth 89a mesh with the opposite toothed belt 86, the pair of elastic claws 87, 88 and the pair of fixed claws 89b, 89c are engaged again. Thereby, the tool rest 48 moves in the opposite direction.

The pair of stoppers 80a and 80b are both edges of the opening 80 of the base plate 71 along the width direction of the recording paper 2. When the tool rest 48 moves to the standby position, the tool rest 48 comes into contact with the stopper 80a, and when it moves to the cutting completion position, it comes into contact with the stopper 80b. The tool rest 48 has a pair of stoppers 80a, 80b.
, The pair of elastic claws 87, 8 elastically deform to release the engagement with the fixed claws 89b, 89c.

The pair of elastic claws 87, 88 are not elastically deformed when the recording paper 2 is cut by one of the disk blades 45 (47), and when the load exceeds the reference load. Elastically deformed. Therefore, when a load greater than the reference load is detected, the tool rest 48 is immediately returned to the standby position.

By incorporating such a drive conversion mechanism 40, the stop position of the recording paper 2 is shifted when, for example, the front or rear margin is cut, and the recording paper 2 is moved to both the cutting positions of the disk blades 45 and 47. When it stops over, a pair of disc blades 4
5 and 47 move together, so both disc blades 4
In this embodiment, when the recording paper 2 is cut by both the disk blades 45 and 47, the movement of the tool rest 48 is a reference load. The tool post 48
Is returned to the standby position. Therefore, the above-described inconvenience can be prevented.

Further, when cutting the multi-fed recording paper 2 or when one or both of the pair of disk blades 45 and 47 are broken for some reason, the tool rest 48 is also used.
Is immediately returned to the standby position, so that inconvenience such as jamming of the recording paper 2 due to trouble of the disk blades 45 and 47 can be prevented.

Further, if the above-mentioned inconvenience occurs at the time of cutting off the front end margin, the tool rest 48 returns to the standby position earlier than when it normally reciprocates. Using this point, the control unit 52 measures the opening and closing of the switch 81 for detecting the standby position, and compares the measured value with a predetermined reference value at the time of normal disconnection to determine that the disconnection is normal. Or abnormal. When it is determined that there is an abnormality, the recording paper feed motor 21 and the cutter motor 38 are stopped so that the subsequent cutting of the margins on both sides and the margin at the rear end are stopped and the recording paper 2 is discharged without cutting. May be controlled. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the recording paper 2 from being jammed due to cutting inside the printer.

The margin cutters 31 on both sides are shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 4, a pair of discharge rollers 35 and a pair of slitters 100 and 10 for cutting both side edges of the recording paper 2 in the transport direction.
1 and a shift mechanism 102 for moving the slitters 100 and 101 in the width direction of the recording paper 2. The shift mechanism 102 includes a cutting position for cutting the recording paper 2 and a recording sheet 2.
Slitters 100 and 1 between the evacuation positions that do not hinder
01 is moved. The discharge roller pair 35 includes an upper roller 103 and a lower roller 104 that nip the recording paper 2 and discharge it toward the discharge port 7. The upper roller 103 includes an upper roller shaft 105 arranged in parallel with the width direction of the recording paper 2,
It consists of two upper roller main bodies 106 and 107 fixed to the upper roller shaft 105 at a predetermined interval.

The lower roller 104 has a lower roller shaft 108 disposed parallel to the width direction of the recording paper 2 and a lower roller shaft 10 so as to abut on the pair of upper roller bodies 106 and 107.
8 and two lower roller bodies 109 and 110 fixed to the lower roller body 8. Gears 111 and 112 meshing with each other are fixed to one ends of the upper and lower roller shafts 105 and 108, respectively. These gears 111 and 112 are connected to one gear 11
The upper and lower roller shafts 105 and 108 are rotated by the drive of the recording paper feed motor 21 being transmitted to 1. The slitters 100 and 101 and the upper and lower roller body 1
Reference numerals 06, 107, 109, and 110 are disposed at symmetrical positions with respect to the center of the conveyance path 6 (the center in the width direction of the recording paper 2).

The left slitter 100 includes an upper rotary blade 115 and a lower rotary blade 116. The right slitter 101 also includes a pair of upper rotary blades 117 and lower rotary blades 118. The lower rotary blades 116 and 118 are coaxial with the lower roller shaft 108 and have lower roller main bodies 109 and 110.
Are fixed to both outer sides of the lower roller shaft 108, respectively.
Rotate with. The blade interval between the lower rotary blades 116 and 118, that is, the interval L1 shown in FIG. 12, is an interval corresponding to a predetermined width of the image recording area or a width slightly smaller than the predetermined width.

The upper rotary blades 115 and 117 are
The recording paper 2 is moved by the shift mechanism 102 between a cutting position where the recording paper 2 is in contact with the recording paper 6 and 118 and a retracted position where the recording paper 2 is retracted to the same position as the width of the recording paper 2 or slightly outside. Shift mechanism 102
Are a pair of blade slide members 120, 121, a pair of guide brackets 122, 123, and a guide bracket 1.
And a cam mechanism for linking the movement of the cams 22 and 123.

Upper rotary blades 115, 117 are attached to the blade slide members 120, 121. Since the blade slide members 120 and 121 have the same configuration on the left and right,
Here, one blade slide member 120 will be described,
The description of the other is omitted. As shown in FIG. 14, the blade slide member 120 has a long groove 1 in the direction of the upper roller shaft 105.
Reference numerals 20a are formed at 180-degree rotation positions in the circumferential direction. The press-fit pins 119 are respectively inserted into the grooves 120a. The pin 119 is inserted into the hole 105a formed in the upper roller shaft 105 via the groove 120a, and the tip of the pin 119 enters the opposite groove 120a. Thereby, the blade slide member 120 is supported so as to be movable along the axial direction of the upper roller shaft 105 and to rotate together with the upper roller shaft 105.

The pair of blade slide members 120 and 121 are supported by a pair of guide brackets 122 and 123, respectively. A coil spring 1 is provided between the blade slide members 120 and 121 and the guide brackets 122 and 123.
29 are inserted respectively. These coil springs 1
29 urges the guide brackets 122 and 123 and the blade slide members 120 and 121 in the separating direction of the axial direction of the upper roller shaft 105, respectively.

The left guide bracket 122 has a left blade slide member 120 at one end and a left cam pin 124 at the other end. The right guide bracket 123 also holds the right blade slide member 121 at one end, and has the right cam pin 125 at the other end. The left and right guide brackets 122 and 123 hold the blade slide members 120 and 121 rotatably and with a slight play in the axial direction of the upper roller shaft 105.

Both ends of the upper and lower rollers 103 and 104 are
The cutter frame 126 is rotatably supported. The cutter frame 126 has a pair of straight guide openings 12.
7, 128 are formed. A pair of straight guide openings 1
27 and 128 guide the pair of cam pins 124 and 125 movably in the width direction of the recording paper 2.

The cam plate 130 constituting the shift mechanism is formed in an elliptical shape, and is attached to the attachment shaft 131. An elliptical cam groove 132 is formed in the cam plate 130. In the cam groove 132, a cam pin 124,
125 are engaged. A gear 134 is attached to the mounting shaft 131.
Are mounted coaxially. The drive of the input gear 58a described with reference to FIG. 5 is transmitted to the gear 134. As a result, the cam plate 130 rotates in one direction, and the cam pins 124,
125, a pair of guide brackets 122, 123
Are moved together in the width direction of the recording paper 2. The guide brackets 122 and 123 are connected to the blade slide members 120 and 121, respectively.
, The upper rotary blades 115 and 117 move between the cut position and the retracted position. In the retracted position, FIG.
5, the blade edge interval L2 of the upper rotary blades 115 and 117 is the same as or slightly larger than the width of the recording paper 2.

The cam groove 132 has a shape in which the pair of upper rotary blades 115 and 117 are alternately moved in the order of the cut position and the retracted position according to the rotational position of the cam plate 130 at every 90 degrees. On the cam plate 130, a cam plate rotation position detecting mechanism for detecting a rotation position at every 90 degrees is provided. This mechanism includes four protrusions 136 and a switch 1
35. The protrusion 136 is formed on the cam plate 130 at a rotation position every 90 degrees in a radial direction so as to protrude from the rotation axis of the cam plate 130, and the switch 135 is formed at a rotation position every 90 degrees of the cam plate 130. Turn ON. The signal of the switch 135 is sent to the control unit 52.

The control unit 52 includes a cut selection switch 55
By the operation described above, a selection operation signal as to whether or not to cut the margin of the recording paper 2 is input. When margin cutting is selected by the cut selection switch 55, the control unit 52
Is rotated in the reverse direction to rotate the cam plate 130 in one direction.
The switch 135 is monitored during the driving of the motor 38, and when the next ON signal is obtained from the switch 135, the driving of the motor 38 is stopped.

As shown in FIG. 11, a separation guide member is attached to the guide brackets 122 and 123. The separation guide member 150 includes the slitter 100,
The scrap pieces 2b and 2c of the margins on both sides cut at 101 are guided from the cutter transport path 6 toward the dust receiving portion 10b.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In the initial state of the printer, the thermal head 15 is set at a retreat position away from the platen roller 16, and the pinch roller 20 of the transport roller pair 18 is set at a position away from the capstan roller 19.

The tool rest 48 of the front and rear margin cutter 30 is located at the standby position, so that the first and second disk blades 4
5, 47 does not prevent the recording paper 2 from passing. Also, the upper rotary blades 115 and 1 of the margin cutters 31 on both sides are provided.
Reference numeral 17 denotes a retracted position which is retracted to the same width as the recording paper 2 or to the outside of the width.

Before starting printing, one of the three modes, ie, the presence / absence of a print margin or post-margin cut processing, is selectively input by the mode selection switch 55. Then, when the user selects the presence or absence of the print margin, a new recording sheet 2 is fed from the first sheet feeding unit 3 by operating the print button thereafter. When the post-margin cutting process is selected, the sheet detection sensor 8a
After a lapse of a predetermined time from the detection of the recording paper 2, the paper feed roller 8b is driven to feed the recording paper 2 on which an image has been recorded from the second paper supply unit 8.

First, here, no print margin is selected. After that, when the print button 54 is operated, first,
The control unit 52 controls the upper rotary blade 11 on both sides of the margin cutter 31.
After confirming that 5,117 has moved to the retreat position, the recording paper 2 is fed from the first paper feed unit 3. Thereby, the recording paper 2 is sent out from the first paper supply unit 3 and is conveyed toward the recording unit 12.

The recording paper 2 is fed in the recording section 12 shown in FIG. 2 in the reverse direction with the recording surface facing down, and passes between the pinch roller 19 and the capstan roller 20 of the transport roller pair 18. Then, the paper passes between the thermal head 15 and the platen roller 16. And the position sensor 22
As a result, when the trailing end of the recording paper 2 in the reverse direction is detected, the driving of the recording paper feed motor 21 is temporarily stopped, and then the pinch roller 20 is moved to a position where the pinch roller 20 is pressed against the capstan roller 19. The recording paper 2 is sandwiched by the stun roller 19.

After the transport roller pair 10 is sandwiched,
The thermal head 15 moves to the print position. Thereafter, the recording paper feed motor 21 is driven to rotate the capstan roller 19 to convey the recording paper 2 in the forward direction.

During this transport, the control unit 52 controls the encoder 2
By monitoring the recording paper feed amount obtained from 3 and detecting that the leading end of the image recording area is located at the position of the thermal head 15, the thermal head 15 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 25 of the optical fixing device 24 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 15 is moved to the retracted position, and then the recording paper 2 is conveyed in the reverse direction, and the rear end of the recording paper 2 in the reverse direction is fed to the position sensor. The conveyance is continued until the detection at 22 is made.
Thereafter, the recording paper 2 is conveyed again in the forward direction, the thermal head 15 is moved to the printing position during this conveyance, the magenta image is thermally recorded by the thermal head 15 in the image recording area, and the magenta ultraviolet lamp is used. 26, the magenta thermosensitive coloring layer is optically fixed.

When the thermal recording of the magenta image is completed, the thermal recording of the cyan image is similarly performed. 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. After the recording of the cyan image, the recording sheet 2 after the image recording is sent to the cutter unit 14 by the pair of transport rollers 18.

Before this conveyance, the control unit 52 is controlled to set the upper rotary blades 115 and 117 of the both-side margin cutter 31 to the cutting position. This control, first,
The motor 38 is driven to rotate in the reverse direction. This drive is input to the mounting shaft 131 via the both-end margin cutter transmission system 58 and transmitted to the cam plate 130. The cam plate 130 rotates in one direction. Due to this rotation, the cam pins 124 and 125 engaged with the cam groove 132 move with the movement of the intersection between the cam groove 132 and the linear guide openings 127 and 128. As a result, the guide brackets 122 and 123 shift. This shift is performed by the blade slide members 120 and 12.
1 is transmitted.

The control unit 52 monitors the signal from the switch 135 while the motor 38 is being driven.
When the next ON signal is detected from 5, the driving of the motor 38 is stopped. Thereby, the pair of blade slide members 12
2 and 123 are moved to the cutting positions, respectively, and the upper rotary blades 115 and 117 are in contact with the lower rotary blades 116 and 118 from both ends in the axial direction. In this state,
The upper rotary blades 115 and 117 are moved by the spring 128 to the lower rotary blade 1.
16, 118.

The recording paper 2 is conveyed to the cutter unit 14 shown in FIG. Then, when the leading end of the recording paper 2 is detected by the first position sensor 51, the control unit 52 stops driving the recording paper feed motor 21. Thereby, the scheduled cutting position of the front end margin of the recording paper 2 matches the cutting position of the first disk blade 45.

Thereafter, the motor 38 is driven forward. As a result, the planetary gear 61 meshes with the front and rear end margin transmission 59 and the toothed belt 86 rotates in one direction. As shown in FIG. 9, the sector gear 89 is initially in a state in which the tooth portion 89a meshes with the backward movement belt 86a, and the tool rest 48 is first moved in the backward movement direction. As soon as the tool rest 48 moves, it comes into contact with the stopper 80a on the standby position side. Thereby, the elastic claws 87, 8
8 is elastically deformed, the engagement with the fixed claws 89b and 89c is released, and the sector gear 89 rotates counterclockwise about the shaft 91.

Thereafter, the tooth portion 89a of the sector gear 89 is
As shown in FIG. 10, the fixed pawls 89b and 89c are engaged with the elastic pawls 87 and 88 while being engaged with the forward belt 86b. Thereby, the same direction as the forward movement side belt 86b,
That is, the tool rest 48 moves in the forward movement direction, and the pair of disk blades 45 and 47 move together.

The movement of the tool rest 48 is continued, so that the first disk blade 45 moves between the fixed blade 44 and the recording paper 2.
Is cut in the width direction. Although the second disk blade 47 moves together with the front end margin cutting, the second disk blade 47 also moves.
Does not cut the recording paper 2 because the recording paper 2 does not exist at the cut position.

When the first disk blade 45 cuts the front end margin, debris of the front end margin falls to the dust receiving tray 10b.

When the tool rest 48 reaches the cutting completion position, it comes into contact with the stopper 80b on the opposite side. As a result, the movement of the tool rest 48 is prevented, the elastic claws 87, 88 are elastically deformed, and the engagement with the fixed claws 89b, 89c is released. When the engagement is released, the sector gear 89 shown in FIG. 10 rotates counterclockwise, and the teeth portion 89a meshes with the backward belt 86a. At this time, as shown in FIG.
89c re-engages with the elastic claws 87, 88 and the sector gear 8
9 is blocked. Thereby, the tool rest 48 moves in the reciprocating direction from the cutting completion position to the standby position. Then, when reaching the standby position, the first switch 81 is turned on. Upon receiving this signal, the control unit 52
Stop driving. Thus, the cutting of the front margin is completed.

After the front and rear margin cutting is completed, the control unit 52 drives the recording paper feed motor 21 to convey the recording paper 2 in the forward direction. In the course of this conveyance, the leading end of the recording paper 2 is nipped by the discharge roller pair 35, and the margins at both ends of the recording paper 2 are cut by the upper and lower rotary blades 115 to 118 at both side margin cutters 31. Thereafter, when the rear end of the recording paper 2 is detected by the second position sensor 50, the control unit 52
Stops the driving of the recording paper feed motor 21. As a result, the cut position of the second disk blade 47 matches the cut position of the rear end margin of the recording paper 2. Thereafter, the control unit 52 drives the motor 38 to rotate in the normal direction, and causes the tool rest 48 to make one reciprocating motion as described above. Thereby, the first and second disk blades 4
5 and 47 move together with the tool rest 48, of which the second disk blade 47 cuts the trailing margin of the recording paper 2 with the fixed blade 46 during the forward movement. At this time, the first disk blade 45 does not cut the recording paper 2.

After the rear end margin cutting is completed, the control unit 52 drives the recording paper feed motor 21 again. Recording paper 2
Is conveyed by the discharge roller pair 35, the cutting of the left and right margins is continued by the upper and lower rotary blades 115 to 118.
The recording paper 2 from which the front, rear, left and right margins have been cut is discharged from the discharge port 7 to the outside by the discharge roller pair 35. After the recording paper 2 is discharged, the motor 38 is driven to rotate in the reverse direction to move the upper rotary blades 115 and 117 to the retracted position. Thus, preparations for the next printing operation are completed.

Scrap pieces 2 cut by both side margin cutters 31
The b and 2c fall to the dust receiving portion 34 by the front and rear margin cutters 30.

When a plurality of prints are instructed and the margin cut is selected, the next print is started while the upper rotary blades 115 and 117 of the both-side margin cutter 31 are moved to the cut position. Is done. Then, after finishing the three-color surface sequential printing, the front and rear end margin cutters 30 are operated to cut each margin.

Next, the case where no margin cutting is selected by the mode selection switch 55 will be described. In this case,
The upper rotating blades 115 and 117 of the both-side margin cutter 31 are moved to the retracted position and moved to the back. Then, the recording paper 2 is fed from the first paper feeding unit 3 and the recording unit 12 sequentially performs three-sided recording to record a full-color image, and also turns on the magenta ultraviolet lamp 26 during the thermal recording of the last cyan image. Lights up and bleaches the margins that are unrecorded areas. Then, the recording paper 2 after the image recording is conveyed to the cutter unit 14, where it is discharged to the outside from the discharge port 7 by the discharge roller pair 35 without being cut. When passing through the cutter section 14, there is no problem because the upper rotary blades 115 and 117 of the both-side margin cutter 31 are retracted to positions where they do not prevent the recording paper 2 from passing. The image of the discharged recording paper 2 looks prominent because the margins are bleached. When margin cutting is selected, it is not necessary to bleach the margin.

Next, a case where the post-margin-cut processing is selected will be described. In this case, both side margin cutters 31
Is moved to the cutting position.
Then, the control unit 52 monitors the sheet detection sensor 8a, and when the sheet detection sensor 8a detects that the recording sheet 2 is set, the control unit 52 operates the sheet supply roller 8b after a lapse of a predetermined time from the detection, and then operates the sheet supply roller 8b. Only one recording sheet 2 on which an image has been recorded is fed from the paper unit 8.

The recording paper 2 is conveyed to the cutter unit 14 through the manual conveyance path 9. In the cutter unit 14, the front and rear margins and both side margins are cut in the same manner as described above. The recording paper 2 is discharged outside with the margins cut.

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.

In the above embodiment, the recording section 12 has been described as an example of a thermal printer of a thermal recording type. 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.

In the above-described embodiment, the recording paper 2 cut into one sheet is used as the recording paper 2. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a sheet drawn in a belt form from a roll form may be used.

In the above embodiment, the first and second disk blades 45 and 47 are integrally mounted on the tool rest 48, but they may be mounted on separate tool rests. Alternatively, one of the cutters may be omitted, and the front margin and the rear margin may be cut by one cutter. In addition, although the mechanism is such that the tool rest 48 is reciprocated using one-way driving of the motor, the present invention is not limited to this, and the tool rest may be reciprocated using forward and reverse rotation of the motor. Further, the invention is not limited to such a mechanism, and a guillotine-type cutter that cuts the recording paper 2 with upper and lower blades linearly exposed in the width direction of the recording paper 2 may be used.

In the above embodiment, the printer is used. However, the recording unit 12 and the first paper supply unit 3 may be omitted and a simple sheet cutting device may be used. In this case, the recording paper 2 on which an image is recorded with a margin is supplied by the second paper supply unit 8, and the front and rear ends and both side margins are cut by the cutter unit 14.

Further, in the above embodiment, the manual feed path 9 for feeding the sheet to the cutter section 14 without passing through the recording section 12 is separately provided. You may make it. Recording unit 1
In the case of a structure in which the recording paper 2 is passed through, when the post-margin-cut processing mode is selected, the thermal head 15 may be moved to the retracted position and the recording paper 2 may be passed. Further, if the recording paper 2 on which an image has been recorded is set at the top of the recording paper storage chamber 10c of the cassette 10, the paper supply unit can also be used. Further, the second paper feed unit 2 may be arranged on the first paper feed unit 3 so as to double as the paper feed path 4.

In the case where the sheet feeder is also used, in order to distinguish a new recording sheet from a recording sheet on which an image has been recorded,
A mark may be made in the margin of the recording paper on which the image has been recorded. A well-known shape such as a circle, a square, and a triangle can be used as the mark. The place to put the mark is
It can be anywhere as long as it is in the margin, and it should be a fixed place. Then, an edge having a shape such as a circle or a square may be recorded in advance so that the position where the mark is to be inserted can be easily visually recognized. In this case, a mark is formed by painting the inside of the edge.

Then, a mark detecting sensor for detecting a mark is provided in the sheet feeding section. The control unit 52 monitors the mark detection sensor, and automatically selects the post-margin-cut processing mode by detecting the presence of the mark with the mark detection sensor. In this case, since the post-margin-cut processing mode is automatically selected, the mode selection switch 55 may be used to select two modes, that is, a print margin and a print margin.

[0089]

As described above, according to the present invention, the paper feeding unit for feeding the recording paper on which the image is recorded and the cutter unit for cutting the margin around the image recording area recorded on the recording paper are provided. With the provision, the recording paper on which the image is recorded with the margin can be changed to the recording paper without the margin. As a result, wasteful use of new recording paper can be eliminated, and image recording can be performed in a short time because image recording is not performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of a printer with a cutter according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a main part of a recording unit.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a cutter unit.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a cutter unit.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view schematically showing a driving mechanism of a cutter unit.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view schematically showing front and rear end margin cutters.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing front and rear end margin cutters.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing a state in which the tool rest is viewed from the back surface.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the tool rest moves backward.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a tool rest moves forward.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a margin cutter on both sides.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing the margin cutters on both sides in a state where the upper rotary blade is moved to a retracted position.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing the margin cutters on both sides in a state where the upper rotary blade is moved to the cutting position.

FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view showing a main part of the blade slide member.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating an operation procedure of the printer.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a continuation of the procedure shown in FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing a continuation of the procedure shown in FIG. 15;

FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing a continuation of the procedure shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Recording Paper 3 First Paper Feeding Unit 8 Second Paper Feeding Unit 8a Paper Detection Sensor 9 Manual Feeding Path 14 Cutter 15 Thermal Head 18 Transport Roller Pair 22, 50, 51 Position Sensor 24 Optical Fixing Unit 30 Front and Rear End Margin Cutter 31 Both-side margin cutter 35 Discharge roller pair 106, 107 Upper roller body 109, 110 Lower roller body 115, 117 Upper rotary blade 116, 118 Lower rotary blade

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A sheet cutting apparatus comprising: a sheet feeding section for feeding recording paper on which an image is recorded; and a cutter section for cutting a margin around an image recording area recorded on the recording sheet. apparatus. 2. The cutting device according to claim 1, wherein the cutter unit includes front and rear margin cutters for cutting margins before and after in a conveying direction of the recording paper, and both side margin cutters for cutting both margins of the recording paper. The sheet cutting device according to claim 1, wherein 3. A paper feeding unit for feeding recording paper, a recording unit for recording an image on the fed recording paper, and a cutter for cutting a margin around an image recording area recorded on the recording paper by the recording unit. In a printer with a cutter having a printing unit, a new printing paper is fed and a printing unit prints an image in the printing unit and then the print margin is cut off. Mode selection means for selecting any one of a print margin mode in which the margin is not cut after recording an image, and a margin cut post-processing mode in which a recording paper on which an image is recorded is fed and the margin is cut. When the mode selection unit is in the print marginless mode, the image is recorded in the recording unit, the margin is cut in the cutter unit, and then the image is discharged. In the print margin mode, the image is recorded in the recording unit. And a control means for controlling the cutter so as to output the image after the margin is cut off by the cutter unit without recording the image in the recording unit in the post-margin cut processing mode. With printer. 4. A cutter according to claim 1, wherein said cutter unit includes front and rear margin cutters for cutting margins before and after the recording paper in a conveying direction, and both side margin cutters for cutting both margins of the recording paper. The printer with a cutter according to claim 3. 5. The paper feeding unit includes a first paper feeding unit that feeds recording paper on which no image is recorded, and a second paper feeding unit that feeds recording paper on which an image is recorded. The printer with a cutter according to claim 3 or 4, wherein: 6. The front and rear margin cutters are configured to move between a retracted position that does not hinder the conveyance of the recording sheet and a cutting completion position where the recording sheet is cut in the width direction. An edge margin cutter is disposed upstream or downstream in the transport direction of the recording paper with respect to the front and rear edge margin cutters, and a slitter that cuts the recording paper in the transport direction using the transport force of the recording paper; Moving means for moving the slitter in the width direction 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. In addition, the control means drives the moving means to move the slitter to the cutting position, and allows the cutter to operate in a cutting mode, moves the slitter to the retracted position, and operates the cutter. Uncut any one of a mode, a cutter with a printer according to claim 4, wherein selectively switching according to the operation of said mode selecting means for stopping.