JP2009073062A - Image recorder with cutter - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image recorder with a cutter, which records an image on a long recording medium, eliminates lowering of a cutting precision of the recording medium, and cuts the recording medium with a stable quality. <P>SOLUTION: A sheet of paper 5 sent to a printer section 3 from a sheet feeding section 2 is conveyed while a first recording section 50 makes color recording on its front side, and is wound around a first drum. It is then wound around a second drum 40 while a second recording section 60 makes color recording on its back side, and is conveyed to a cutter section 86 by a pair of second nip rollers 84 via a rollers 22, and 80 to 83. The sheet of paper 87 cut in the section 86 is shorter in length than guide lengths of paper discharge guides 88 and 89, and is thereby not gripped by a pair of discharge rollers 90 until cutting is finished. As a result, a moment around a shaft orthogonal to the sheet surface is not generated, and a direction of the sheet is not changed, so that a degradation of the cutting accuracy is prevented. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus with a cutter, which has a recording unit and a conveyance unit, records an image on a recording medium, and cuts the recording medium.

  Conventionally, for example, an ink jet printer has been used as an image recording apparatus. Ink jet printers record images at high speed and high image quality by ejecting ink droplets from a plurality of nozzles of a print head onto a recording medium held and conveyed by a conveyance unit.

  Printers that record images on, for example, a sheet-like recording medium, for example, are widely used for recording office use in companies and the like. For example, in a printer that records an image on a long recording medium such as roll paper, the recorded recording medium is sequentially fed out by a conveyance unit, and cut into a sheet by a cutter built in the apparatus main body. It is also widely used as an industrial application for creating recording sheets.

Patent Document 1 discloses an image recording apparatus that records an image on a long recording medium such as roll paper and cuts the recorded recording medium into a sheet by a cutter.
As shown in FIG. 1 of this document, the image recording apparatus of Patent Document 1 pulls out and conveys a color thermal recording paper (2) wound in a roll shape from the roll (3), and the recording paper. In addition, image recording is performed by the recording units (21, 27, 34). Thereafter, the recorded recording paper is placed before and after the cutter unit by the relay roller pair (41) arranged on the upstream side of the cutter unit (47) and the discharge roller pair (56) arranged on the downstream side of the cutter unit. It is configured to be cut into a predetermined cut length by the cutter unit while being held (nip).
JP 2003-231313 A (summary, FIG. 1)

  By the way, the image recording apparatus of Patent Document 1 has the following problems. That is, in the image recording apparatus of Patent Document 1, when the recording medium is cut by the cutter unit, the relay roller pair disposed upstream of the cutter unit and the discharge roller pair disposed downstream of the cutter unit are used. Cutting is performed in the state of being held (nip).

  However, in the case of the above configuration, the recording medium is cut from the end along the direction perpendicular to the transport direction by the cutter blade of the cutter unit, and the cut width of the recording medium changes as the cutting is performed. A moment about an axis perpendicular to the surface of the recording medium acts by a force in the conveying direction acting on the recording medium by the roller pair.

  Due to this moment, the recording medium is cut at an angle by changing the direction of the conveyance direction at the time of cutting. That is, since the recording medium is held (niped) by the discharge roller pair at the time of cutting, the recording medium is cut obliquely, which causes a problem of reduction in cutting accuracy of the recording medium.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides an image recording apparatus with a cutter that performs image recording on a long recording medium and cuts the recording medium with stable quality while eliminating a decrease in the cutting accuracy of the recording medium. The purpose is to provide.

  In order to solve the above problems, an image recording apparatus with a cutter according to the present invention includes a recording unit that records an image on a continuous continuous medium, and a continuous medium after image recording by the recording unit is cut in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction. A cutter unit having a cutter blade, a conveying unit that conveys a continuous medium toward the cutter unit, a discharge member that discharges a sheet-like recording medium cut by the cutter unit, and a sheet-like recording medium from the cutter unit to the discharge member And a discharge guide that guides the cutter. The cutter is disposed above the discharge member in the direction of gravity, and the conveyance path length of the discharge guide is longer than the cut length along the conveyance direction of the sheet-like recording medium.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an image recording apparatus with a cutter that performs image recording on a long recording medium, and cuts the recording medium with stable quality while eliminating a decrease in the cutting accuracy of the recording medium. Become.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
(First embodiment)
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing a conveyance system of a recording medium 5 in the image recording apparatus 1 of the first embodiment. The image recording apparatus 1 of this embodiment includes an unwinder unit, a printer unit, and a discharge unit.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing the printer unit of the image recording apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment viewed from the direction of arrow A in FIG.
First, the unwinder unit 2 shown in FIG. 1 will be described. The unwinder unit 2 includes a stand 6, a paper tube fixing shaft 7, and a brake 8.

The unwinder unit 2 is a recording medium supply unit that holds the recording medium 5 rotatably by the paper tube fixing shaft 7 and supplies the recording medium 5 to the printer unit 3.
In the present embodiment, the unwinder unit 2 uses a continuous medium such as roll paper as a recording medium. The stand 6 supports the paper tube fixing shaft 7 rotatably. In the paper tube fixing shaft 7, by injecting air from an air injection port (not shown), a plurality of claw portions that chuck the inner diameter of the paper tube protrude in the radial direction.

As a result, the claw portion of the paper tube fixing shaft 7 bites into the inner diameter of the paper tube of the recording medium 5 and holds the recording medium 5 firmly.
A brake 8 is connected to the paper tube fixing shaft 7 via a pulley and a belt. The braking force of the brake 8 is transmitted to the paper tube fixing shaft 7. As a result, the brake 8 functions to apply tension in the direction opposite to the conveyance direction of the recording medium 5.

  Next, the printer unit 3 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the printer unit 3 includes a conveyance unit, a cutting unit 86, and a main body of the recording medium 5 including a plurality of rollers 14 to 22 and 80 to 84, a first drum 30 and a second drum 40. The frame 25, the first recording unit 50, the second recording unit 60, the first maintenance unit 70, and the second maintenance unit 75 are configured.

The printer unit 3 introduces a recording medium 5 sent out from the unwinder unit 2 as indicated by an arrow 9.
The recording medium 5 introduced into the printer unit 3 is transported to the first drum 30 via a transport system including free rollers 14 and 15, a swing roller 16, a free roller 17, and a free roller 18.

The rocking roller 16 is attached to the front end of an arm 16b that is rotatably held by the main body frame 25 by a rotation center 16a so as to be rotatable in both forward and reverse directions.
The swing roller 16 constitutes a tension generating section that applies tension to the recording medium 5 conveyed along the lower peripheral surface of the swing roller 16 by the weight of the swing roller 16 and the arm 16b.

  In addition, the tension generating unit has a function of eliminating the slack when the recording medium 5 is loosened due to a change in tension caused by the eccentricity of the recording medium 5 held in the unwinder unit 2. Yes.

The rotation center 16a is provided with a potentiometer 16c that detects a rotation position when the swing roller 16 moves in the vertical direction.
The brake 8 connected to the paper tube fixing shaft 7 of the unwinder section 2 is actuated by the output signal of the potentiometer 16c. Thereby, the tension of the recording medium 5 is controlled. The free rollers 14, 15, 17, and 18 are rotatably supported by the main body frame 25, respectively.

The recording medium 5 transported to the first drum 30 via the transport system is wound around the first drum 30 by a free roller 18 and 19 at a winding angle of 330 degrees.
The first drum 30 is a hollow cylinder made of aluminum, for example. The rotation shaft 30 a of the first drum 30 is rotatably supported by the main body frame 25. In addition, one end of a member that supports a first recording unit 50 described later and one end of a member that supports a first maintenance unit 70 described later are engaged with the rotation shaft 30a.

  The first drum 30 is supported by the rotary shaft 30a and rotates in the clockwise direction in the figure. Then, the recording medium 5 held on the first drum 30 is transported directly below the first recording unit 50 disposed facing the first drum 30, and recording is performed on the surface of the recording medium 5 by the first recording unit 50. Do.

  The winding angle 330 degrees of the recording medium 5 in the first drum 30 is set as follows. That is, when the tension at the winding end side of the first drum 30 is T2, the tension at the winding start side is T1, the static friction coefficient between the first drum 30 and the recording medium 5 is μ, and the winding angle is θ, T2 / T1 Each numerical value is set so that the relationship of ≦ exp (μθ) and T2 / T1 ≧ 1 / exp (μθ) is established.

  For example, when T1 is 35N and T2 is 50N, it is considered that the first drum 30 and the recording medium 5 do not slip even if the recording medium 5 has a static friction coefficient μ with the first drum 30 of 0.07. Is set to 330 degrees. The same applies to the second drum 40 described later.

  As described above, by securing the winding angle of the recording medium 5 on the first drum 30 as wide as about 330 degrees as in the present embodiment, the recording medium 5 has the tension at the start of winding by the swing roller 16 of the first drum 30 and A vertical drag is applied to the outer peripheral surface of the first drum 30 by the tension at the end of winding by a nip roller 80 described later.

  As a result, the frictional force between the first drum 30 and the recording medium 5 increases, so that there is no slip between the first drum 30 and the recording medium 5, and the recording medium 5 is brought into close contact with the first drum 30. Can be held. As a result, accurate paper conveyance and drum rotation speed control are possible.

  The surface of the recording medium 5 wound around the first drum 30 is a surface that is stable and has high dimensional accuracy, and has a wide area of 330 degrees. Accordingly, a large number of recording units can be arranged in the circumferential direction of the first drum 30 in order to increase the resolution of the image recorded on the recording medium 5.

  Further, stable detection can be performed by a print quality detection device that detects the print quality after recording. Further, there is a merit that a UV curing lamp necessary in the case of UV ink or the like is arranged and UV irradiation can be performed under stable curing conditions.

In the above configuration, the first drum 30 is a driven drum that is rotated by the second drum 40 via the recording medium 5.
After the end of winding of the first drum 30, that is, the recording medium 5 on which the image is recorded on the surface by the first recording unit 50 passes through the transport system of the free rollers 19, 20, 21 to the second drum 40. Be transported.

The recording medium 5 conveyed to the second drum 40 is also wound around the second drum 40 by the free rollers 21 and 22 at a winding angle of 330 degrees.
Similarly to the first drum 30, the second drum 40 is also a hollow cylinder made of aluminum, for example. The rotation shaft 40 a of the second drum 40 is rotatably supported by the main body frame 25. In addition, one end of a member that supports a second recording unit 60 described later and one end of a member that supports a second maintenance unit 75 described later are engaged with the rotation shaft 40a.

The free rollers 19, 20, and 21 are also rotatably supported by the main body frame 25.
As described above, the recording medium 5 wound around the second drum 40 at a winding angle of 330 degrees has a vertical drag on the outer peripheral surface of the second drum 40 due to the tension at the start of winding of the second drum 40 and the tension at the end of winding. Given.

  As a result, the frictional force between the second drum 40 and the recording medium 5 increases, so that there is no slip between the second drum 40 and the recording medium 5, and the recording medium 5 is held in close contact with the second drum 40. Is done.

  The second drum 40 rotates counterclockwise in the figure by the driving force of the driving motor 41 connected to the rotating shaft 40a via a pulley and a belt. By the rotation of the second drum 40, the recording medium 5 held on the second drum 40 is conveyed directly below the second recording unit 60 disposed to face the second drum 40.

  The recording medium 5 wound and held around the second drum 40 has the image recording surface recorded by the first recording unit 50 on the first drum 30 facing downward (the peripheral surface side of the second drum 40). The back surface that has not yet been recorded is upward (the direction facing the second recording unit 60).

  Recording is performed on the back surface of the recording medium 5 wound around the second drum 40 and transported directly below the second recording unit 60 by the second recording unit 60. Thereby, the double-sided recording on the recording medium 5 is completed.

  As shown in FIG. 2, an encoder 42 in the position detection unit is connected to the rotation shaft 40 a of the second drum 40 via a coupling 43. The housing of the encoder 42 is fixed to one end of an encoder fixing member 44 having an L-shaped cross section. The other end of the encoder fixing member 44 is fixed to the back surface of the main body frame 25.

With this configuration, the encoder 42 rotates with the rotation of the second drum 40 and outputs a detection pulse corresponding to the rotation position of the second drum 40.
The detection pulse output from the encoder 42 is input to a drive board (not shown) that drives the print heads of the first recording unit 50 and the second recording unit 60. In synchronization with this detection pulse, the print head ejects ink by drive control from the drive substrate.

  That is, since the recording medium 5 is conveyed at the same speed without slipping on the first drum 30 and the second drum 40, the first recording unit is based on the detection pulse output as the second drum 40 rotates. 50 and the ejection drive of the second recording unit 60 can be controlled.

  As the encoder 42, for example, a rotary encoder with 18000 pulses per rotation is used. Here, assuming that the resolution in the conveyance direction of recording is 300 dpi and one dot is printed per pulse of the encoder 42, the diameter of the second drum 40 is “25.4 (mm) ÷ 300 (dpi)”. × 18000 (pulse) ÷ π (circumferential ratio) = 485 (mm) ”.

  In this example, the diameter of the first drum 30 is the same as the diameter of the second drum 40. With this configuration, the print heads of the first recording unit 50 and the second recording unit 60 can discharge ink in synchronization with the detection pulse of the encoder 42 and perform a recording process with a resolution of 300 dpi in the transport direction.

Next, the first recording unit 50 and the second recording unit 60 will be described. Since the configuration of the first recording unit 50 is the same as that of the second recording unit 60, the first recording unit will be described as a representative.
FIG. 3 is a schematic front view showing the first recording unit disposed to face the first drum 30.

  The first recording unit 50 of the present embodiment has print heads 51a, 51b, 51c, 51d of a total of four colors of cyan (C), black (K), magenta (M), and yellow (Y). . The print heads 51a, 51b, 51c, 51d are arranged and fixed in a staggered manner on the head holding plates 52a, 52b, 52c, 52d so as to be equal to or larger than the width of the recording medium 5. The nozzle surfaces formed on the print heads 51 a, 51 b, 51 c, and 51 d are disposed so as to face the print surface of the recording medium 5 held on the outer peripheral surface of the first drum 30. The print heads 51a, 51b, 51c, 51d are positioned relative to the first drum 30 by the head holding plates 52a, 52b, 52c, 52d and the head holding member 53. Further, one end of the head holding member 53 is engaged with the rotating shaft 30a. The configuration of the first recording unit 50 described above is the same in the second recording unit 60.

  Next, the first maintenance unit 70 and the second maintenance unit 75 will be described. The first maintenance unit 70 and the second maintenance unit 75 have a function of performing maintenance operations such as wiping and nozzle suction for the purpose of preventing clogging in the nozzles of the print head.

Since the configuration of the first maintenance unit 70 is the same in the second maintenance unit 75, the first maintenance unit 70 will be described as a representative.
FIG. 3 is a schematic front view showing the first maintenance unit 70 disposed to face the first drum 30.

  The first maintenance unit 70 shown in FIG. 3 corresponds to the plurality of suction nozzles 71 corresponding to the print heads 51a, 51b, 51c, and 51d of the first recording unit 50, and the print heads 51a, 51b, 51c, and 51d. Four first ink pans 72 are provided.

  Further, the first maintenance unit 70 holds the second ink pan 73 integrated with the first ink pan 72 so as to cover the four first ink pans 72 and the second ink pan 73. And a maintenance unit holding member 74.

  The suction nozzle 71 sucks ink from the print heads 51a, 51b, 51c, and 51d, and removes ink, paper dust, and the like attached to the nozzle surfaces of the print heads 51a, 51b, 51c, and 51d.

  The first ink pan 72 collects the ink purged during the maintenance operation. The maintenance unit holding member 74 is a rotating shaft of the first drum 30 for positioning and holding the above-described components (suction nozzle 71, first ink pan 72, second ink pan) with respect to the first drum 30. 30a is engaged.

  In the maintenance operation, first, the head holding plates 52a, 52b, 52c, and 52d are retracted in a direction away from the peripheral surface of the first drum 30 by a retracting mechanism (not shown) provided in the head holding member 53.

  As a result, the print heads 51a, 51b, 51c, and 51d are also moved away from the circumferential surface of the first drum 30, and the lower surface of the print heads 51a, 51b, 51c, and 51d and the circumferential surface of the first drum 30 are moved. A predetermined gap is formed between them.

Thereafter, the first maintenance unit 70 is moved directly below the print heads 51a, 51b, 51c, 51d.
The ink purge operation is performed by the print heads 51a, 51b, 51c, and 51d. The ink that has flowed out during the purge is collected by the four first ink pans 72 corresponding to the print heads 51a, 51b, 51c, and 51d and collected in a waste liquid tank (not shown).

  Then, the suction nozzle 71 in contact with the nozzle surfaces of the print heads 51a, 51b, 51c, and 51d is scanned in the nozzle row direction. Then, the ink remaining on the nozzle surface is sucked by the suction nozzle 71 while the ink, paper dust and the like adhering to the nozzle surface are scraped off.

  After the maintenance operation, the first maintenance unit 70 returns to the standby position shown in FIG. 3, for example. At this time, since the first maintenance unit 70 stands by at a tilted position, there is a possibility that the ink remaining in the first ink pan 72 may drip, so the second ink pan 73 is provided.

  The end of the second ink pan 73 is formed by a wall having a sharp bending angle and is inclined in the depth direction of the apparatus. As a result, even if ink drips from the first ink pan 72, the ink accumulates at the end of the second ink pan 73.

The ink collected in the second ink pan 73 flows to the waste liquid tank. With this configuration, the inside of the apparatus such as the recording medium 5 and the first drum is not stained with ink.
Returning to FIG. 1 again, as described above, the recording medium 5 recorded on the front surface by the first recording unit 50 and recorded on the back surface by the second recording unit 60 to complete the double-sided recording is the winding end portion of the second drum 40. From the free roller 22 and thereafter.

  That is, after the end of winding of the second drum 40, the recording medium 5 is conveyed to the first nip roller pair 80 via the free roller 22. The free roller 22 and the first nip roller pair 80 are rotatably supported by the main body frame 25.

  The first nip roller pair 80 includes a pair of rollers. Although not particularly shown, a torque limiter, a reduction gear, and a drive motor are connected to one of the rollers, and the recording medium on the first drum 30 and the second drum 40 is connected. The recording medium 5 is conveyed at the same speed as the conveying speed 5.

As a result, the first nip roller pair 80 constitutes a tension generating unit for applying a tension to the recording medium 5 in the same direction as the conveyance direction of the recording medium 5.
After the first nip roller pair 80, the recording medium 5 is conveyed to the second nip roller pair 84 via free rollers 81, 82, 83. The free rollers 81, 82, 83 and the second nip roller pair 84 are also rotatably supported by the main body frame 25.

  The second nip roller pair 84 is composed of a pair of rollers. Although not particularly shown, a torque limiter, a reduction gear, and a drive motor are connected to one of the rollers, and the same speed as the conveyance speed of the recording medium 5 by the first nip roller pair 80 is connected. Then, the recording medium 5 is conveyed toward the cutter unit 86 arranged immediately after.

After the second nip roller pair 84, the recording medium 5 is conveyed to the cutter unit 86 via the introduction guide 85.
The conveyance path between the second nip roller pair 84 and the cutter unit 86 is configured to be as short as possible. The introduction guide 85 has a function of suppressing the fluctuation in the thickness direction of the recording medium 5 in the conveyance path and introducing the recording medium 5 into the cutter unit 86.

  The introduction guide 85 extends in the width direction of the recording medium 5, covers the front and back of the recording medium 5, and restricts the conveyance path. The introduction guide 85 is a part made of sheet metal or resin molding, for example. Alternatively, it may be constituted by a pair of elongated rollers.

  The recording medium 5 introduced into the cutter unit 86 by the introduction guide 85 is cut into a predetermined length by the cutter unit 86 to become a sheet-like recording medium 87. The discharge guides 88 and 89 and the discharge roller pair 90 as a discharge member are provided. Via, it is discharged to the storage tray 91. The discharge guides 88 and 89, the discharge roller pair 90, and the storage tray 91 constitute a discharge unit.

  Next, a configuration between the cutter unit 86 and the discharge roller pair 90, which is a feature of the present invention, will be described. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion centering on the cutter portion 86, the discharge guides 88 and 89, and the discharge roller pair 90 shown by being surrounded by a broken line in FIG.

In the figure, components other than those necessary for the description are not shown, and the same components as those in FIG. 1 are given the same reference numerals as those in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, in the present embodiment, the cutter unit 86 is disposed obliquely above and to the left of the discharge roller pair 90. That is, the cutter unit 86 is disposed above the discharge roller pair 90 in the gravity direction. The relationship between the length L of the conveyance path 92 formed by the discharge guides 88 and 89 between the cutter unit 86 and the discharge roller pair 90 and the cut length Y of the sheet-like recording medium 87 cut by the cutter unit 86 is as follows. The relationship is L> Y.

  Further, the transport path formed by the discharge guides 88 and 89 is a vertical portion that coincides with the direction of gravity immediately after the cutter unit 86 and thereafter is a curved portion toward the discharge roller pair 90. The shape is formed.

  With this shape, there is an effect that the sheet-like recording medium 87 having a concave and convex direction such as the curved hook 5a when being cut by the cutter unit 86 and having a roll shape easily slides in the discharge guides 88 and 89 due to gravity. can get.

The discharge guides 88 and 89 are configured to extend in the width direction of the recording medium 5, cover the front and back of the sheet-like recording medium 87, and restrict the conveyance path.
The discharge guides 88 and 89 are parts made of sheet metal or resin molding, for example. The surface where the discharge guides 88 and 89 and the sheet-like recording medium 87 come into contact with each other may be subjected to a surface treatment with a low friction coefficient.

Further, the end portion of the discharge guide 89 on the cutter portion 86 side is disposed so as to abut on the outer peripheral surface of the facing roller 86c not provided with a cutter blade of the cutter portion 86 described later.
In the present embodiment, the end portion of the discharge guide 89 on the cutter portion 86 side is formed integrally with the discharge guide 89, but the end portion may be a separate member and may be formed of a sheet material or the like.

Further, the positional relationship between the end portion on the cutter portion 86 side of the discharge guide 89 and the outer peripheral surface of the facing roller 86c may be arranged close to each other with a gap narrower than the thickness of the recording medium 5 without abutting.
The discharge roller pair 90 includes a pair of rollers, one of which is connected with a reduction gear and a drive motor, and stores the sheet-like recording medium 87 at a conveyance speed faster than the conveyance speed of the recording medium 5 by the second nip roller pair 84. It is sent out to the tray 91.

  As a result, an effect is obtained in which the rear end of the sheet-like recording medium 87 after cutting and the front end of the recording medium 5 conveyed by the second nip roller pair 84 are spaced apart to prevent conveyance failure due to contact between the recording media. .

  Next, the cutter unit 86 will be described. The cutter unit 86 in this example is a rotary cutter, and includes a cutter roller 86a provided with a cutter blade 86b and an opposing roller 86c facing each other.

  The cutter blade 86b is formed on the metal sheet by etching and machining. A magnet is embedded in the outer peripheral surface of the cutter roller 86a, and the metal sheet on which the cutter blade 86b is formed is attracted and held by the magnetic force on the outer peripheral surface of the cutter roller 86a.

  Further, the cutter blade 86b is provided in a spiral shape on the outer peripheral surface of the cutter roller 86a. The angle formed by the spiral cutter blade 86b with respect to the rotation axis of the cutter roller 86a is set to about 1 degree.

  By setting this angle large, noise and vibration at the time of cutting can be reduced, but on the other hand, a moment acts on the recording medium 5 due to the component force of the blade surface of the cutter blade 86b. .

  The entire cutter unit 86 is cut by the angle formed by the cutter blade 86b with respect to the rotation axis of the cutter roller 86a with respect to the conveyance direction of the recording medium 5 so that the cutter unit 86 can be cut at right angles to the conveyance direction of the recording medium 5. It is arranged at an angle.

  Two cutter blades 86b provided in a spiral shape on the outer peripheral surface of the cutter roller 86a are provided. The pitch in the circumferential direction of one cutter blade 86b is set so that the cut length is A3 length (420 mm).

In this example, since the two cutter blades 86b are arranged on the outer peripheral surface of the cutter roller 86a at equal intervals, the cut length is set to be A4 side (210 mm).
The counter roller 86c is connected to a reduction gear and a drive motor. The cutter roller 86a is configured to be driven by coupling the counter roller 86c and a gear.

The rotating shaft of the cutter roller 86a is provided with a cutter origin position detector that detects the origin position of the cutter blade 86b.
In the present embodiment, the origin position of the cutter blade 86b is set to a position where the cutter blade 86b contacts the recording medium 5.

  With this drive motor, the cutter roller 86a and the counter roller 86c are moved between the first drum 30 and the second drum 40, and the recording medium 5 is conveyed by the first nip roller pair 80 and the second nip roller pair 84. By rotating at the same speed as the speed, the recording medium 5 can be cut into a sheet-like recording medium 87 whose cut length is A4.

Subsequently, the conveyance operation of the recording medium 5 will be described. In this embodiment, an operation for applying tension to the recording medium 5 is performed before the conveyance operation of the recording medium 5 is started.
First, the brake 8 connected to the paper tube fixing shaft 7 is operated by the output signal of the potentiometer 16c so that the swing roller 16 is in the neutral position (the arm 16b is substantially horizontal), and the winding of the recording medium 5 is started. Control the tension.

As a result, about half of the weight of the swing roller 16 and the arm 16b is applied to the recording medium 5 from the swing roller 16 to the start of winding of the first drum 30.
Further, in the first nip roller pair 80, when the tension applied to the recording medium 5 by the first nip roller pair 80 is too high, the torque limiter is actuated to cause the drive motor to idle and control the tension of the recording medium 5.

As a result, the predetermined tension set by the first nip roller pair 80 acts on the recording medium 5 from the end of winding of the second drum 40 to the first nip roller pair 80.
At this time, the recording medium 5 is given a normal force to the outer peripheral surface of the first drum 30 by the tension at the start of winding and the tension at the end of winding of the first drum 30. As a result, the frictional force between the first drum 30 and the recording medium 5 increases, and the recording medium 5 is held in close contact with the first drum 30.

  Similarly, the recording medium 5 is given a normal force to the outer peripheral surface of the second drum 40 by the tension at the start of winding and the tension at the end of winding of the second drum 40. The recording medium 5 is held in close contact with the second drum 40 by the frictional force between the second drum 40 and the recording medium 5.

  In the second nip roller 84, when the tension applied to the recording medium 5 by the second nip roller pair 84 is too high, the torque limiter is operated to cause the drive motor to idle, thereby controlling the tension of the recording medium 5.

  Thus, a predetermined tension set by the second nip roller pair 84 acts on the recording medium 5 in the conveyance path of the recording medium 5 from the first nip roller pair 80 to the second nip roller pair 84.

At this time, the recording medium 5 is held without slack by the tension acting on the conveyance path from the first nip roller pair 80 to the second nip roller pair 84.
When the conveyance operation of the next recording medium 5 is started, the drive motor 41 connected to the second drum 40, the brake 8 of the unwinder unit 2, the drive motors of the first nip roller pair 80 and the second nip roller pair 84 are driven. As a result, the first drum 30 is also driven and rotated, and the recording medium 5 is conveyed toward the cutter unit 86.

At this time, the recording medium 5 is conveyed without slippage between the outer peripheral surfaces of the first drum 30 and the second drum 40 and the recording medium 5.
That is, the second drum 40 provided on the most downstream side is a driving drum and the first drum 30 is a driven drum without causing a speed difference between the first drum 30 and the second drum 40. The recording medium 5 can be conveyed at the same speed.

As a result, the image recorded on the recording medium 5 is not rubbed on the first drum 30 and the second drum 40, and generation of paper dust or the like can be prevented.
In other words, since the recording medium 5 is conveyed while being held in close contact with the drum surface without slipping, it is possible to prevent a decrease in recording quality.

Further, since the generation of paper dust from the recording medium 5 can be suppressed, the occurrence of non-ejection of ink can be reduced, and further the deterioration of recording quality can be prevented.
The operation of applying tension to the recording medium 5 may be performed simultaneously with the start of the conveying operation.

Next, a recording operation on the recording medium 5 will be described.
When the recording operation is started, the above-described tension generating operation and conveying operation of the recording medium 5 are started, and detection corresponding to the rotational position of the second drum 40 is performed by the encoder 42 connected to the rotational shaft 40a of the second drum 40. A pulse is output.

Based on this detection pulse, first, the print head of the first recording unit 50 is driven, and the first recording unit 50 performs a recording process on the recording medium 5.
Next, the second recording unit 60 performs recording on the surface opposite to the recording surface of the recording medium 5 recorded by the first recording unit 50, thereby performing double-sided recording.

Here, there is no slip of the recording medium 5 in the first drum 30 and the second drum 40, and the recording medium 5 is conveyed by rotating at the same speed.
Thus, for example, printing on the recording medium 5 of the cyan (C) print head of the second recording unit 60 from the printing position of the cyan (C) print head of the first recording unit 50 on the recording medium 5 is performed. The transport path length to the position is converted in advance into the number of detected pulses of the encoder 42, and after recording by the first recording unit 50, when the number of detected pulses of the encoder 42 reaches a predetermined number of pulses, the second recording unit 60 Start recording.

Thereby, at the time of double-sided recording, the recording surface of the recording medium 5 recorded by the first recording unit 50 and the recording surface of the recording medium 5 recorded by the second recording unit 60 can be matched.
In this embodiment, the encoder 42 is connected only to the second drum 40. However, the first drum 30 and the second drum 40 rotate and convey at the same speed without sliding the recording medium 5. The encoder 42 may be connected only to the first drum 30.

In this way, by attaching an encoder to any one of the drums, the space in the apparatus can be simplified, and the cost can be reduced.
Next, cutting of the recording medium 5 by the cutter unit 86 of the present embodiment will be described.

In this embodiment, before the cutting of the recording medium 5 is started, the cutter unit 86 is returned to the cutter origin position by the cutter origin position detection unit provided in the cutter roller 86a.
When the conveyance operation of the recording medium 5 is started, the driving motor coupled to the opposing roller 86c is driven, so that the cutter roller 86a is also driven, and the cutting of the recording medium 5 is started by the cutter unit 86.

  That is, when the conveyance operation and the cutting operation are started, the recording medium 5 is introduced into the cutter unit 86 by the second nip roller pair 84, cut by the cutter unit 86, and sheet-like recording having a predetermined cut length (A4 side). A medium 87 is obtained.

  Further, the cutting timing of the recording surface and the cutter unit 86 is performed as follows. First, the transport path length from the printing position on the recording medium 5 of the cyan (C) print head of the first recording unit 50 to the cutting position of the cutter blade 86b of the cutter unit 86 is the number of detected pulses of the encoder 42. Converted in advance.

  When the number of pulses detected by the encoder 42 reaches a predetermined number of pulses, the cutting position of the cutter blade 86b of the cutter unit 86 is positioned so that a margin is added to the printing position on the recording medium 5. Recording in the first recording unit 50 is started.

As a result, the recording surface of the recording medium 5 recorded by the first recording unit 50 and the timing of cutting by the cutter unit 86 can be matched.
The cut mark recorded on the recording medium 5 is detected by the cut mark detection sensor, and the cutter unit 86 is controlled by accelerating / decelerating the drive of the cutter roller 86a, so that the recording surface of the recording medium 5 and the cutter unit 86 are controlled. The timing for cutting may be matched.

  The cutter unit 86 is disposed obliquely above and to the left of the discharge roller pair 90. As described above, the length L of the conveyance path 92 formed by the discharge guides 88 and 89 from the origin position of the cutter blade 86b of the cutter unit 86 to the discharge roller pair 90, and the sheet-like recording cut by the cutter unit 86. The relationship with the cut length Y of the medium 87 is such that the conveyance path length L> the cut length Y.

  With these configurations, the sheet-like recording medium 87 cut by the cutter unit 86 slides down by an amount corresponding to the LY conveyance path along the conveyance path formed by the discharge guides 88 and 89 due to gravity. The leading edge of the sheet-like recording medium 87 reaches the nip position of the discharge roller pair 90.

Thereafter, the sheet-like recording medium 87 is sent out to the storage tray 91 by the discharge roller pair 90.
That is, when the recording medium 5 is cut by the cutter unit 86, the recording medium 5 is held only by the second nip roller 84 disposed on the upstream side of the cutter unit 86, transported, and disposed on the downstream side of the cutter unit 86. The discharge roller pair 90 does not hold the recording medium 5.

  With the above configuration, when the long recording medium 5 pulled out from the roll is cut into the sheet-like recording medium 87 by the cutter unit 86, the lower end portion of the sheet-like recording medium 87 is in a free state. As the cutting by the portion 86 proceeds, the sheet-like recording medium 87 is separated from the long recording medium 5 by its own weight.

  Thus, the sheet-like recording medium 87 is released from the state where the downstream end is gripped by the pair of discharge rollers and the tension is applied, and the force for pulling the sheet-like recording medium 87 downstream is only its own weight. It is.

  In other words, the generation of a moment about an axis perpendicular to the surface of the recording medium 5 acting by the width of the recording medium 5 that changes as it is cut by the cutter unit 86 and the force in the conveying direction applied to the recording medium by the discharge roller 90. There are no or negligible ones.

  Therefore, the direction of the conveyance direction is not changed by the progress of the cutting of the recording medium due to the moment, that is, the recording medium is not cut obliquely, thereby preventing the cutting accuracy of the sheet-like recording medium 87 from being lowered. An effect is obtained.

  In this embodiment, when the recording medium 5 introduced into the printer unit 3 from the roll paper held by the unwinder unit 2 is conveyed to the cutter unit 86 by roll paper curl, the curl shown in FIG. As in state 5a, the left side is convex and the right side is concave.

  With respect to the curled state 5 a of the recording medium 5, a part of the conveyance path formed by the discharge guides 88 and 89 is convex to the lower left side so as to be the same as the concave and convex direction of the curl of the recording medium 5. A curved portion [i5] having a concave shape is formed.

Accordingly, even when the sheet-like recording medium 87 in the curled state 5a passes through the discharge guides 88 and 89, the contact is reduced, and there is an effect of preventing conveyance failure.
Further, when the curled state of the recording medium 5 is opposite to the unevenness of the curled state 5 a shown in FIG. 4, the curled state recording medium 5 is conveyed to the cutter unit 86, and is provided on the cutter roller 86 a. There is a possibility that the cut end portion of the recording medium 5 adheres to the cutter blade 86b.

After that, the curled concave portion of the recording medium 5 and the rotation direction of the cutter roller 86a coincide with each other, so that the recording medium 5 is caught in the cutter roller 86a and causes conveyance failure.
On the other hand, by configuring the convex side of the curled state 5a shown in FIG. 4 of the recording medium 5 to be on the cutter roller 86a side, the recording medium 5 is caught by the cutter roller 86a, resulting in poor conveyance. There is an effect to prevent that.

  Further, the end portion of the discharge guide 89 on the cutter part 86 side is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the opposing roller 86c not provided with the cutter blade 86b or close to the outer peripheral surface of the opposing roller 86c at an interval thinner than the thickness of the recording medium 5. Are arranged.

  Accordingly, the right side of the curled state 5a shown in FIG. 4 of the recording medium 5 is concave, and even if the recording medium 5 is caught by the opposing roller 86c, the end of the discharge guide 89 on the cutter unit 86 side The recording medium 5 is scooped up and introduced into the discharge guides 88 and 89 to prevent conveyance failure.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide a cutter-equipped image recording apparatus that eliminates a decrease in cutting accuracy of a recording medium, performs image recording, and cuts the recording medium with stable quality.
(Modification of the first embodiment)
A modification of the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

5 and 6 are diagrams showing first and second modifications of the image recording apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, respectively.
5 and 6, the recording medium 5 is introduced into the printer unit 3, and the sheet-like recording medium 87 is sent out from the second nip roller pair 84 to the storage tray 91 via the cutter unit 86 and the discharge roller pair 90. It is a schematic front view which shows a conveyance system. In addition, the structure of the part which is not shown in figure is the same as the image recording device 1 of 1st Embodiment.

  In the first and second modified examples shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the configuration of the conveyance path is the same as that in the first embodiment up to the second nip roller pair 84, the introduction guide 85, and the cutter unit 86. is there.

  First, in the first modified example of FIG. 5, the recording medium 5 is conveyed to the cutter unit 86 via the second nip roller pair 84 and the introduction guide 85, cut by the cutter unit 86, and then recorded in sheet form. The medium 87 is sent to the storage tray 91 via the discharge guides 100 and 101 and further via the discharge roller pair 90 and the discharge guide 102.

  In the second modified example of FIG. 6, the sheet-like recording medium 87 cut by the cutter unit 86 passes through the discharge guides 110 and 111, and then, similarly to the case of FIG. It is sent out to the storage tray 91 via the paper guide 102.

  The cutter unit 86 is arranged above the discharge roller pair 90 in the gravitational direction in any of the above modifications. The length L1 of the conveyance path 92 formed by the discharge guides 100 and 101 between the cutter unit 86 and the discharge roller pair 90 shown in FIG. 5 and the cut length Y of the sheet-like recording medium 87 cut by the cutter unit 86 are shown. The relationship is L1> Y.

  Further, the length L2 of the conveyance path formed by the discharge guides 110 and 111 between the cutter unit 86 and the discharge roller pair 90 shown in FIG. 6 and the cut length Y of the sheet-like recording medium 87 cut by the cutter unit 86 are set. The relationship is L2> Y.

  The conveyance paths formed by the discharge guides 100 and 101 are all formed in a vertical portion that matches the gravity direction, and the conveyance paths formed by the discharge guides 110 and 111 are all predetermined toward the storage tray 91 with respect to the gravity direction. It is formed by an inclined portion inclined at an angle.

  Due to this shape, the sheet-like recording medium 87 cut by the cutter unit 86 is in the discharge guides 100 and 101 and in the discharge guides 110 and 111 by gravity as compared with the first embodiment of the present invention. Has the effect of being more slippery.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a third modification of the image recording apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. In the image recording apparatus 1 of this modification, the recording medium 5 is introduced into the printer unit 3, and the sheet-like recording medium 87 is transferred to the storage tray 91 from the second nip roller pair 84 via the cutter unit 86 and the discharge roller pair 90. It is a schematic front view which shows the conveyance system sent out. In addition, the structure of the part which is not shown in figure is the same as the image recording device 1 of 1st Embodiment.

  In the configuration of the conveyance path of this modification, the recording medium 5 is conveyed to the cutter unit 86 via the second nip roller pair 84 and the introduction guide 85, and is cut by the cutter unit 86 to become a sheet-shaped recording medium 87. Are discharged horizontally.

Thereafter, the paper is sent to the storage tray 91 via the discharge guides 120 and 121, the discharge roller pair 90, and the discharge guide 102.
Also in this modification, the cutter unit 86 is disposed above the discharge roller pair 90 in the gravity direction. Further, the relationship between the length L3 of the conveyance path 92 formed by the discharge guides 120 and 121 between the cutter unit 86 and the discharge roller pair 90 and the cut length Y of the sheet-like recording medium 87 cut by the cutter unit 86 is as follows. Also in this case, the relationship of L3> Y is maintained.

  In this modification, the recording medium 5 introduced into the printer unit 3 from the roll paper held by the unwinder unit 2 is curled as shown in FIG. 7 when being conveyed to the cutter unit 86 by roll paper curl. As in the state 5b, the upper side is convex and the lower side is concave.

  With respect to the curled state 5 b of the recording medium 5, a part of the conveyance path formed by the discharge guides 120 and 121 is convex on the upper right side so as to be the same as the concave and convex direction of the curl of the recording medium 5. A curved portion having a concave shape is formed.

  Thus, even in the case of the sheet-like recording medium 87 in the curled state 5b conveyed in the first embodiment and the first and second modifications, the curl is conveyed in the reverse uneven direction. When passing through the discharge guides 120 and 121, the contact is reduced, and there is an effect of preventing conveyance failure.

  Further, the end portion of the discharge guide 120 on the cutter portion 86 side is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the opposing roller 86c not provided with the cutter blade 86b or close to the outer peripheral surface of the opposing roller 86c at an interval thinner than the thickness of the recording medium 5. Are arranged.

As a result, in the case of the first embodiment and the first and second modifications, the recording medium 5 is a curled state 5b that is conveyed in the direction of irregularities opposite to the curl, and the recording medium 5 is a counter roller. Even if the paper is caught in 86c, the recording medium 5 is scooped up and introduced into the discharge guides 120 and 121 by the end of the discharge guide 120 on the cutter unit 86 side, and there is an effect of preventing conveyance failure.
(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 8 is a schematic front view showing a conveyance system after the second nip roller pair in the image recording apparatus of the second embodiment. In addition, the structure of the part which is not shown in figure is the same as the image recording device 1 of 1st Embodiment.

  In the present embodiment, the configuration of the conveyance path is that the second nip roller pair 84 and the subsequent ones include a short conveyance path formed by the introduction guide 85, the cutter unit 86, and the discharge guides 200, 201, and 202a, and the discharge guides 200, 201, and 202b. Is branched off by a transport path switching member 207.

  In this conveyance path, when the recording medium 5 is cut by the cutter unit 86, the A4-size sheet-size recording medium 204 or the A3-size sheet-size recording medium 205 set in advance by an input operation from the user is used. It is cut into one of the paper sizes.

When the sheet-like recording medium 204 having an A4 size is cut, the conveyance path switching member 207 rotates counterclockwise in the drawing so as to contact the inner wall of the discharge guide 200.
Thus, the sheet-like recording medium 204 is guided to the upper part of the discharge guide 200, the right surface of the transfer path switching member 207, and the shorter transfer path formed by the discharge guide 202a and the discharge guide 201, and the discharge roller pair 90 is moved. Via the storage tray 208.

  On the other hand, when the recording medium 5 is cut into a sheet-like recording medium 205 of A3 size vertical size, the conveyance path switching member 207 is rotated in the clockwise direction in the drawing so as to contact the inner wall of the discharge guide 201.

  As a result, the sheet-like recording medium 204 is guided to the longer conveyance path formed by the entire length of the ejection guide 200 and the upper portion of the ejection guide 201, the left surface of the conveyance path switching member 207, and the ejection guide 202b. The paper is sent out from the pair of discharge rollers 206 to the storage tray 91 via the paper discharge guide 203.

Also in this embodiment, the cutter unit 86 is disposed above the discharge roller pair 90 and the discharge roller pair 206 in the gravity direction.
The upper portion of the discharge guide 200 between the cutter unit 86 and the discharge roller pair 90, the right surface of the transfer path switching member 207, the short transfer path length L4 formed by the discharge guide 202a and the discharge guide 201, and the cutter unit 86 A4. The relationship of the cut length Y1 of the sheet-like recording medium 204 cut to the size (210 mm) is L4> Y1.

  On the other hand, the entire length of the discharge guide 200 between the cutter unit 86 and the discharge roller pair 206, the upper portion of the discharge guide 201, the left surface of the transfer path switching member 207, and the long transfer path length L5 formed by the discharge guide 202b, and the cutter unit 86 The relationship of the cut length Y2 of the sheet-like recording medium 205 cut to A3 size (420 mm) is L5> Y2.

  When the recording paper size is A4 size landscape, the cutter unit 86 cuts the recording medium 5 into A4 size landscape (210 mm), and the transport path switching member 207 is rotated to the discharge guide 200 side, thereby A4 size landscape (210 mm). The sheet-like recording medium 204 that has been cut into two is stored via the upper portion of the discharge guide 200, the right surface of the transfer path switching member 207, the transfer path formed by the discharge guide 202a and the discharge guide 201, and the discharge roller pair 90. Send to tray 208.

  On the other hand, when the recording paper size is A3 size portrait, the cutter medium 86 cuts the recording medium 5 into A3 size portrait (420 mm), and the conveyance path switching member 207 is rotated to the discharge guide 201 side, so that A3 size portrait ( 420 mm), the sheet-like recording medium 205 is cut into the entire length of the discharge guide 200, the upper portion of the discharge guide 201, the left surface of the transfer path switching member 207, and the discharge path 202b, the discharge roller pair 206, and the discharge. It is sent out to the storage tray 91 via the guide 203.

  With the above configuration, even when two different paper sizes are cut by the cutter unit 86, the sheet-like recording medium 204 or 205 of each paper size is not sandwiched between the discharge rollers until the cutting is completed.

As a result, there is no generation of a moment around an axis perpendicular to the surface of the recording medium 5 which acts due to the force in the conveying direction applied by the discharge roller.
For this reason, even when cutting two different paper sizes, the recording medium is not cut obliquely by changing the direction of the conveyance direction, and an effect of preventing the cutting accuracy of the recording medium from being lowered can be obtained.

Further, by adding a transport path, it is possible to cope with cutting of three or more different paper sizes.
(Modification of the second embodiment)
A second modified example of the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a first modification of the image recording apparatus according to the second embodiment. FIG. 9 is a schematic front view showing a conveyance system after the second nip roller pair 84 when the recording medium 5 is introduced into the printer unit 3. In addition, the structure of the part which is not shown in figure is the same as the image recording apparatus 1 of this Embodiment 1. FIG.

  In the image recording apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 9, the configuration of the conveyance path as the present modification includes a second nip roller pair 84, an introduction guide 85, a cutter unit 86, discharge guides 301 and 302, a discharge roller pair 90, a discharge guide 303, and the like. 304, a discharge roller pair 305 as a discharge member, and a discharge guide 203, and a storage tray 91 is provided downstream thereof. The discharge guides 301 and 302 and the discharge guides 303 and 304 form the same transport path.

  The cutter unit 86 is disposed above the discharge roller pair 90 and the discharge roller pair 305. Further, the conveyance path length L6 formed by the discharge guides 301 and 302 between the cutter unit 86 and the discharge roller pair 90, and the cut length Y1 of the sheet-like recording medium 204 cut by the cutter unit 86 to the A4 size side (210 mm). The relationship is L6> Y.

  On the other hand, the conveyance path length L7 formed by the discharge guides 301 and 302 and the discharge guides 303 and 304 between the cutter unit 86 and the discharge roller pair 305, and the sheet-like recording cut by the cutter unit 86 in A3 size length (420 mm). The relationship of the cut length Y2 of the medium 205 is L7> Y2. Further, the relationship between the two transport path lengths L6 and L7 is L7> L6.

When the recording paper size is A4 size, the discharge roller pair 305 is separated from the conveyance path, and the recording medium 5 is cut into A4 size (210 mm) by the cutter unit 86.
The sheet-like recording medium 204 cut to the A4 size (210 mm) is conveyed by the discharge roller pair 90 via the conveyance path formed by the discharge guides 301 and 302 and formed by the discharge guides 303 and 304. The paper is sent to the storage tray 91 via the conveyance path, the separated pair of discharge rollers 305 and the paper discharge guide 203.

On the other hand, when the recording paper size is A3 size vertical, the discharge roller pair 90 is separated from the conveyance path, and the recording medium 5 is cut into A3 size vertical (420 mm) by the cutter unit 86.
The sheet-like recording medium 205 cut to A3 size (420 mm) is formed by a conveyance path formed by discharge guides 301 and 302, between a pair of spaced discharge rollers 90, and discharge guides 303 and 304. The paper is conveyed by the discharge roller pair 305 via the conveyance path, and sent to the storage tray 91 via the paper discharge guide 203.

  With the above configuration, even in this case, even when two different paper sizes are cut by the cutter unit 86, the sheet-like recording medium 204 or 205 of each paper size is held between the discharge roller pair 90 or 305 until the cutting is completed. There is nothing to do.

As a result, there is no generation of a moment around an axis perpendicular to the surface of the recording medium 5 which acts due to the force in the conveying direction applied by the discharge roller.
For this reason, even when cutting two different paper sizes, the recording medium is not cut obliquely by changing the direction of the conveyance direction, and an effect of preventing the cutting accuracy of the recording medium from being lowered can be obtained.

Furthermore, since it is possible to cut a plurality of different paper sizes only by arranging a plurality of paper discharge rollers, there is no need for a large space in the apparatus, and the apparatus can be miniaturized.
Further, according to the addition of the paper discharge roller, it is possible to cope with cutting of three or more different paper sizes.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a second modification of the image recording apparatus according to the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a schematic front view showing a conveyance system after the second nip roller pair 84 when the recording medium 5 is introduced into the printer unit 3. In addition, the structure of the part which is not shown in figure is the same as the image recording apparatus 1 of this Embodiment 1. FIG.

  In the image recording apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 10, the configuration of the conveyance path as the present modification includes a second nip roller pair 84, an introduction guide 85, a cutter unit 400, discharge guides 402 and 403, discharge guides 404 and 405, and discharge members. The discharge roller pair 406 and the discharge guide 203 are provided, and a storage tray 91 is provided downstream thereof. The discharge guides 402 and 403 and the discharge guides 404 and 405 form the same transport path.

  The recording medium 5 is conveyed to the cutter unit 400 via the second nip roller pair 84 and the introduction guide 85. In the cutter unit 400, the recording medium 5 is cut into a sheet size of either the sheet-like recording medium 204 or 205 in the same manner as described above.

  The cut sheet-like recording medium 204 or 205 is sent out to the storage tray 91 via the discharge guides 402 and 403, the discharge guides 404 and 405, the discharge roller pair 406, and the discharge guide 203.

  The cutter unit 400 includes a cutter roller 400 a provided with a cutter blade 400 b and a counter roller 400 c disposed to face the roller, and discharge guides 402 and 403 are also configured to accompany the cutter part 400.

  The cutter unit 400 is configured to be movable together with the discharge guides 402 and 403 to two positions in the conveyance direction of the recording medium 5. The position of the cutter unit 400 can be changed to one of the two positions according to the paper size to be cut.

  Further, discharge guides 404 and 405 are attached to the discharge roller pair 406. The discharge roller pair 406 is also configured to be movable to two positions in the conveyance direction of the recording medium 5 together with the discharge guides 404 and 405. The position of the discharge roller pair 406 can be changed to one of the above two positions depending on the paper size to be cut.

  The cutter unit 400 is disposed above the discharge roller pair 406. Further, the length of the conveyance path formed by the discharge guides 402 and 403 and the discharge guides 404 and 405 between the cutter unit 400 and the discharge roller pair 406 can be selected from four types depending on the combination of the positions of the cutter unit 400 and the discharge roller pair 406. Become.

These four types of transport path lengths are set longer than the cut length of the recording medium 5 in each case (the length in the transport direction of the sheet-shaped recording medium).
With the above configuration, even when four different paper sizes are cut by the cutter unit 400, the respective paper sizes are orthogonal to the surface of the recording medium 5 acting by the force in the conveying direction applied to the recording medium 5 by the discharge roller. There is no moment around the axis.

  For this reason, cutting of four different paper sizes can be performed, and even when cutting of four different paper sizes is performed in this way, the recording medium rotates in the horizontal direction in the transport direction and is cut obliquely. The effect of preventing the cutting accuracy of the recording medium from being lowered is obtained.

  As described above, according to the present invention, when a roll-like recorded recording medium is cut into a sheet-like (sheet-like) recording medium with a cutter, the recording medium is not gripped by the downstream conveying roller. Since cutting is performed in the state, the cutting accuracy of the sheet-like recording medium after cutting is improved.

  In the present invention, the cutter units 86 and 400 have been described using a rotary cutter. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a known cutting means such as a guillotine cutter or a rotary blade cutter may be used. Moreover, it is not limited to the said embodiment, In the implementation stage, it can change variously in the range which does not change the summary.

FIG. 2 is a schematic front view illustrating a recording medium conveyance system in the image recording apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing the printer unit of the image recording apparatus according to the first embodiment viewed from the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a schematic front view showing a first maintenance unit disposed to face a first drum in the image recording apparatus of the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion centered on a cutter unit, a discharge guide, and a discharge roller pair that are surrounded by a broken line in FIG. 1 in the image recording apparatus of the first embodiment. It is a figure which shows the 1st modification in the image recording device of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the 2nd modification in the image recording device of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the 3rd modification in the image recording device of 1st Embodiment. FIG. 10 is a schematic front view showing a conveyance system after a second nip roller pair in the image recording apparatus of the second embodiment. It is a figure which shows the 1st modification in the image recording device of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the 2nd modification in the image recording device of 2nd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image recording device 2 Unwinder part 3 Printer part 5 Recording medium 5a, 5b Winding state 6 Stand 7 Paper tube fixed shaft 8 Brake 9 Arrow 14 which shows conveyance direction 14, 15 Free roller 16 Swing roller 16a Rotation center 16b times Moving arm 16c Potentiometer 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 Free roller 25 Body frame 30 First drum 30a Rotating shaft 40 Second drum 40a Rotating shaft 41 Drive motor 42 Encoder 43 Coupling 44 Encoder fixing member 50 First 1 recording unit 51a, 51b, 51c, 51d print head 52a, 52b, 52c, 52d head holding plate 53 head holding member 60 second recording unit 70 first maintenance unit 71 suction nozzle 72 first ink pan 73 second ink pan 74 men Tenancy unit holding member 75 Second maintenance unit 80 First nip roller pair 81, 82, 83 Free roller 84 Second nip roller pair 85 Introduction guide 86 Cutter part 86a Cutter roller 86b Cutter blade 86c Opposing roller 87 Sheet-like recording medium 88 Discharge guide 89 Discharge guide 90 Discharge roller pair 91 Storage tray 92 Conveyance path length 100, 101 Discharge guide of modification 1 102 Discharge guide 110, 111 Discharge guide of modification 2 120, 121 Discharge guide of modification 3, 200, 201, 202 Discharge Guide 203 Paper discharge guide 204 Sheet-like recording medium (A4 landscape)
205 Sheet-shaped recording medium (A3 vertical)
206 Discharge roller pair 207 Conveyance path switching member 208 Storage tray 301, 302, 303, 304 Discharge guide 305 Discharge roller pair 400 Cutter unit 400a Cutter roller 400b Cutter blade 400c Opposing rollers 402, 403, 404, 405 Discharge guide 406 Discharge roller pair

Claims (9)

A recording unit for recording images on a continuous continuous medium;
A cutter unit having a cutter blade for cutting the continuous medium after image recording by the recording unit in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction;
A transport unit that transports the continuous medium toward the cutter unit;
A discharge member for discharging the sheet-shaped recording medium cut by the cutter unit;
A discharge guide for guiding the sheet-like recording medium from the cutter unit to the discharge member;
With
The cutter unit is disposed above the discharge member in the gravity direction, and the conveyance path length of the discharge guide is longer than the cut length along the conveyance direction of the sheet-like recording medium.
An image recording apparatus. A part of the discharge guide forms a vertical portion that coincides with the gravity direction toward the discharge member, an inclined portion that is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the gravity direction, or a curved portion that is curved with respect to the gravity direction. ing,
The image recording apparatus according to claim 1. The continuous medium is roll-shaped continuous paper, and the discharge guide is curved so as to be the same as the concave and convex direction by the curl of the continuous paper introduced into the cutter unit toward the discharge member. Having
The image recording apparatus according to claim 1. The continuous medium is roll-shaped continuous paper, the cutter unit is composed of a roller pair, the cutter blade is provided on an outer peripheral surface of one roller of the roller pair, and the roller provided with the cutter blade Is arranged to be on the convex side of the curl of the continuous paper introduced into the cutter unit,
The image recording apparatus according to claim 1. The discharge guide arranged on the roller side where the cutter blade is not provided in the pair of rollers, the end of the discharge guide abuts on the outer peripheral surface of the roller not provided with the cutter blade, or the thickness of the continuous paper Are arranged close together with a narrower gap,
The image recording apparatus according to claim 4. The conveyance path length of the discharge guide between the cutter unit and the discharge member can be changed according to the setting change of the cut length along the conveyance direction of the sheet-like recording medium cut by the cutter unit. did,
The image recording apparatus according to claim 1. A plurality of the discharge members, and a plurality of the discharge guides corresponding to the plurality of discharge members, in order to guide the sheet-like recording medium to the discharge member corresponding to the cut length, A conveyance path switching member that switches the sheet-like recording medium to any one discharge guide;
The image recording apparatus according to claim 6. A plurality of the discharge members, and a plurality of the discharge guides corresponding to the plurality of discharge members, wherein the plurality of discharge guides form the same conveyance path for conveying the sheet-like recording medium, The discharge member is disposed on the same transport path, and any one of the plurality of discharge members can be selectively driven.
The image recording apparatus according to claim 6. A plurality of the discharge members, and a plurality of the discharge guides corresponding to the plurality of discharge members, wherein the plurality of discharge guides form the same conveyance path for conveying the sheet-like recording medium, and the cutter And the discharge member are arranged on the same conveyance path, and at least one of the cutter unit and the discharge unit is configured to be movable along the conveyance direction of the recording medium.
The image recording apparatus according to claim 6.

Images