JP2012206237A - Cutting apparatus, cutting data processing device and program, and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cutting apparatus, a cutting data processing device and program, and a recording medium, which reduce waste of an object to be cut by reducing an unnecessary portion about a cut object.SOLUTION: The cutting apparatus includes: an extracting unit extracting contours of patterns A to C, based on pattern cutting data for cutting the patterns A to C; a frame setting unit setting the minimum boundary frame polygonal in shape, including the contours, based on the contours extracted by the extracting unit; a frame enlarging unit enlarging the boundary frame set by the frame setting unit to be separated outside the boundary frame by a predetermined distance; and a frame cutting data creating unit creating frame cutting data to cut the frame F21 enlarged by the frame enlarging unit.

Description

  The present invention relates to a cutting device, a cutting data processing device, a cutting data processing program, and a recording medium that cut a desired pattern from a cutting object by relatively moving a cutting blade and the cutting object.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a cutting plotter that automatically cuts a sheet such as paper is known. In the cutting plotter, a sheet of paper or the like is attached to a base material (corresponding to a holding member) having an adhesive layer on the surface, and both end portions of the base material are sandwiched from above and below by a driving roller and a pinch roller of a driving mechanism. While moving in one direction, the carriage having a cutting blade is moved in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction to cut the sheet. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

JP 2005-205541 A

  In the cutting plotter of Patent Document 1, when the pattern cut out from the sheet is peeled off from the base material after the cutting is finished, the user first peels off the unnecessary portion of the sheet other than the pattern, and then peels off the pattern. This is because the work performed in this order can be removed more beautifully without damaging the pattern. At this time, unnecessary sheets are discarded. Therefore, for example, even when a small pattern is cut out from a large size sheet, the user peels off the unnecessary portion of the sheet first and discards it. Thus, when the pattern to be cut is smaller than the size of the entire sheet, the entire unnecessary sheet is peeled off and discarded, resulting in increased waste of the sheet. In addition, it takes time and effort to remove the entire unnecessary portion of the sheet.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and a purpose thereof is a cutting apparatus and cutting data processing capable of reducing waste of the object to be cut by reducing unnecessary portions of the object to be cut after cutting. An apparatus, a cutting data processing program, and a recording medium are provided.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, a cutting apparatus according to claim 1 of the present invention is a cutting apparatus that cuts a desired pattern from an object to be cut by relatively moving a cutting blade and the object to be cut. An extraction unit that extracts a contour of the pattern based on pattern cutting data for cutting the pattern, and a polygonal shape or a curve shape that includes the contour based on the contour extracted by the extraction unit A frame setting unit that sets a minimum boundary frame, and a frame enlarging unit that expands the boundary frame set by the frame setting unit so as to be spaced apart from the boundary frame by a predetermined distance; and Frame cutting data creating means for creating frame cutting data for cutting the enlarged frame enlarged by the frame enlarging means, and based on the pattern cutting data and the frame cutting data, the pattern from the object to be cut Characterized by cutting the said expansion frame.

  In the above configuration, a desired pattern can be cut from the object to be cut based on the pattern cutting data, and a polygonal or curved enlarged frame can be cut around the pattern based on the frame cutting data of the enlarged frame. it can. At this time, the area outside the pattern and inside the enlargement frame, that is, the area of the unnecessary portion is the minimum necessary size according to the outline of the pattern. Therefore, unlike the prior art, the entire object to be cut other than the pattern is not an unnecessary part, so that waste of the object to be cut can be reduced. Moreover, since the unnecessary part is the minimum necessary size, the unnecessary part can be easily peeled off.

  The cutting device according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the pattern is a pattern group composed of a plurality of patterns, and the extracting means extracts an outline for each individual pattern of the pattern group, The frame setting means sets a minimum boundary frame which is a polygonal or curved boundary frame including all of the respective contours extracted by the extraction means, and the frame enlargement means is the frame setting means. The set boundary frame is enlarged.

  The cutting device according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the pattern is a pattern group including a plurality of patterns, and the extraction unit extracts an outline for each individual pattern of the pattern group, and The frame setting means sets the boundary frame for each contour extracted by the extracting means, the frame enlarging means enlarges each boundary frame set by the frame setting means, and the frame cutting The data creating means creates frame cutting data of a portion excluding the overlapping portion when any of the enlarged frames enlarged by the frame enlarging means overlaps each other.

  The cutting device according to claim 4 is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the pattern is a pattern group including a plurality of patterns, and the extraction unit extracts an outline for each individual pattern of the pattern group, The frame setting means sets boundary frames that match the respective contours extracted by the extracting means, and the frame enlargement means sets the boundary frames set by the frame setting means to the outside by a predetermined distance from the contours. The frame cutting data creating means creates the frame cutting data of a portion excluding the overlapping portion when any of the enlarged frames enlarged by the frame expanding means overlaps each other. Features.

  The cutting data processing device according to claim 5 is a cutting data processing for processing cutting data for a cutting device for cutting a desired pattern from the object to be cut by relatively moving the cutting blade and the object to be cut. An apparatus for extracting a contour of the pattern based on cutting data for cutting the pattern, and a polygon or a curve including the contour based on the contour extracted by the extracting unit A frame setting unit that sets a minimum boundary frame that is a boundary frame of the shape, and a frame expansion unit that expands the boundary frame set by the frame setting unit so as to be spaced apart from the boundary frame by a predetermined distance; Frame cutting data creating means for creating frame cutting data for cutting the enlarged frame enlarged by the frame enlarging means.

  In the cutting data processing apparatus, frame cutting data of an enlarged frame having a polygonal shape or a curved shape can be created around the pattern. Therefore, when the object to be cut is cut by the cutting device based on the pattern cutting data and the frame cutting data, the area outside the pattern and inside the enlarged frame, that is, the area of the unnecessary portion, needs to correspond to the contour of the pattern. The minimum size. Therefore, unlike the prior art, the entire object to be cut other than the pattern is not an unnecessary part, so that waste of the object to be cut can be reduced. Moreover, since the unnecessary part is the minimum necessary size, the unnecessary part can be easily peeled off.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the cutting data processing device according to the fifth aspect, the pattern is a pattern group composed of a plurality of patterns, and the extracting means extracts an outline for each individual pattern of the pattern group. The frame setting means sets a minimum boundary frame which is a polygonal or curved boundary frame including all of the respective contours extracted by the extraction means, and the frame enlargement means The boundary frame set by the setting means is enlarged.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the cutting data processing device according to the fifth aspect, the pattern is a pattern group composed of a plurality of patterns, and the extracting means extracts an outline for each individual pattern of the pattern group. The frame setting means sets the boundary frame for each contour extracted by the extraction means, and the frame enlargement means enlarges each boundary frame set by the frame setting means, The frame cutting data creating means creates frame cutting data of a portion excluding the overlapping portion when any of the enlarged frames enlarged by the frame enlarging device overlaps each other.

  The cutting data processing device according to claim 8 is the invention according to claim 5, wherein the pattern is a pattern group composed of a plurality of patterns, and the extracting means extracts an outline for each individual pattern of the pattern group. The frame setting means sets boundary frames that match the respective contours extracted by the extracting means, and the frame enlarging means predetermines each boundary frame set by the frame setting means from the contours. The frame cutting data creating means creates the frame cutting data of the portion excluding the overlapping portion when any of the enlarged frames enlarged by the frame expanding means overlaps each other. It is characterized by doing.

  The cutting data processing program according to claim 9 is a program that is executed by a computer of a cutting device that cuts a desired pattern from the workpiece by relatively moving a cutting blade and the workpiece, An extraction process for extracting a contour of the pattern based on pattern cutting data for cutting the pattern on a computer, and a polygonal shape or a curve shape including the outline based on the contour extracted by the extraction process A frame setting process for setting a minimum boundary frame, and a frame enlarging process for enlarging the boundary frame set by the frame setting means so as to be spaced apart from the boundary frame by a predetermined distance; And a frame cutting data creating process for creating frame cutting data for cutting the enlarged frame enlarged by the frame enlarging process.

  By causing the computer to execute the cutting data processing program, frame cutting data of an enlarged frame having a polygonal shape or a curved shape can be created around the pattern. Therefore, when the object to be cut is cut by the cutting device based on the pattern cutting data and the frame cutting data, the area outside the pattern and inside the enlarged frame, that is, the area of the unnecessary portion, needs to correspond to the contour of the pattern. The minimum size. Therefore, unlike the prior art, the entire object to be cut other than the pattern is not an unnecessary part, so that waste of the object to be cut can be reduced. Moreover, since the unnecessary part is the minimum necessary size, the unnecessary part can be easily peeled off.

  A recording medium according to a tenth aspect is the one in which the cutting data processing program according to the ninth aspect is recorded so as to be readable by a computer of the cutting apparatus.

  According to the cutting apparatus of claim 1, a desired pattern can be cut from the object to be cut based on the pattern cutting data, and a polygonal or curved shape is enlarged around the pattern based on the frame cutting data of the enlargement frame. The frame can be cut. At this time, the area outside the pattern and inside the enlargement frame, that is, the area of the unnecessary portion is the minimum necessary size according to the outline of the pattern. Therefore, unlike the prior art, the entire object to be cut other than the pattern is not an unnecessary part, so that waste of the object to be cut can be reduced. Moreover, since the unnecessary part is the minimum necessary size, the unnecessary part can be easily peeled off.

  According to the cutting device of the second aspect, in addition to the effect of the invention of the first aspect, the frame setting means sets a boundary frame that includes all of the contours of the plurality of patterns. For this reason, it is possible to cut a polygonal or curved enlarged frame around the pattern group. Therefore, even if a plurality of patterns are cut, the unnecessary portion becomes one connected region, so that the unnecessary portion can be more easily removed.

  According to the cutting device of claim 3, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 1, the frame setting means can set a boundary frame for each pattern. Therefore, since the area of the unnecessary portion can be further reduced, waste of the workpiece can be reduced as much as possible. Further, when any of the enlarged frames overlaps each other, the frame cutting data creation means creates frame cutting data for a portion excluding the overlapping portion. For this reason, the area | region of an unnecessary part can be connected and put together by the overlapping part. Moreover, it can avoid cutting an adjacent pattern.

  According to the cutting device of the fourth aspect, in addition to the effect of the invention of the first aspect, the frame setting means sets the boundary frame that respectively matches the contour of each pattern. For this reason, the area of the unnecessary portion has a similar shape in which the outline of each pattern is enlarged. Therefore, since the area of the unnecessary portion can be further reduced, waste of the workpiece can be reduced as much as possible. Further, when any of the enlarged frames overlaps each other, the frame cutting data creation means creates frame cutting data for a portion excluding the overlapping portion. For this reason, the area | region of an unnecessary part can be connected and put together by the overlapping part. Moreover, it can avoid cutting an adjacent pattern.

  According to the cutting data processing apparatus of the fifth aspect, it is possible to create frame cutting data having a polygonal shape or a curved shape around the pattern. Therefore, when the object to be cut is cut by the cutting device based on the pattern cutting data and the frame cutting data, the area outside the pattern and inside the enlarged frame, that is, the area of the unnecessary portion, corresponds to the outline of the pattern. The minimum size is required. Therefore, unlike the prior art, the entire object to be cut other than the pattern is not an unnecessary part, so that waste of the object to be cut can be reduced. Moreover, since the unnecessary part is the minimum necessary size, the unnecessary part can be easily peeled off.

According to the cutting data processing device of claim 6, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 5, the same effect as the effect of the invention of claim 2 is achieved.
According to the cutting data processing device of the seventh aspect, in addition to the effect of the invention of the fifth aspect, the same effect as the effect of the third aspect of the invention is exerted.
According to the cutting data processing device of the eighth aspect, in addition to the effect of the invention of the fifth aspect, the same effect as the effect of the fourth aspect of the invention is achieved.

  By causing the computer to execute the cutting data processing program according to the ninth aspect, polygonal or curved frame cutting data can be created around the pattern. Therefore, when the object to be cut is cut by the cutting device based on the pattern cutting data and the frame cutting data, the area outside the pattern and inside the enlarged frame, that is, the area of the unnecessary portion, needs to correspond to the contour of the pattern. The minimum size. Therefore, unlike the prior art, the entire object to be cut other than the pattern is not an unnecessary part, so that waste of the object to be cut can be reduced. Moreover, since the unnecessary part is the minimum necessary size, the unnecessary part can be easily peeled off.

  A recording medium according to a tenth aspect is the one in which the cutting data processing program according to the ninth aspect is recorded so as to be readable by a computer of the cutting apparatus. Therefore, the same effect as that of the ninth aspect of the invention described above can be obtained.

The perspective view which shows the internal structure of the cutting device in 1st Embodiment of this invention. Top view of the cutting device Perspective view of cutter holder Front view of the cutter holder with the cutter lowered Sectional view of the cutter holder shown with the cutter raised Sectional view along line VI-VI in FIG. Front view showing enlarged gear Enlarged view of the vicinity of the cutter tip during cutting Side view of the cutter holder vicinity when cutting Block diagram showing electrical configuration The figure for demonstrating the structure of the whole data which has several pattern cutting data It is a general view of the to-be-cut object shown in the state hold | maintained at the holding member, Comprising: The figure for demonstrating the pattern and unnecessary part after completion | finish of a cutting | disconnection Flow chart showing the overall processing flow when creating frame cutting data Flowchart showing the flow of processing when one border frame is set for a plurality of patterns An enlarged view illustrating the relationship between a plurality of patterns, a border frame, and an enlarged frame Flowchart showing the flow of processing when setting a border frame for each pattern for multiple patterns An enlarged view illustrating the relationship between a plurality of patterns and a border frame and an enlarged frame for each pattern Flowchart showing the flow of processing when setting a border frame that matches the contour for each pattern for a plurality of patterns An enlarged view illustrating the relationship between a plurality of patterns and boundary frames and enlarged frames that match the outline for each pattern FIG. 10 equivalent view showing the second embodiment of the present invention.

<First Embodiment>
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 1, the cutting device 1 includes a main body cover 2 as a casing, a platen 3 disposed in the main body cover 2, and a cutter holder 5, and a cutter 4 of the cutter holder 5 (see FIG. 5). ) And the workpiece 6 are relatively provided with first and second moving means 7 and 8. The body cover 2 has a horizontally long rectangular box shape, and a horizontally long opening 2 a for setting a holding sheet 10 holding the workpiece 6 on the upper surface of the platen 3 is formed on the front surface. In the following description, the side on which the user is located with respect to the cutting device 1 is the front, and the opposite side is the rear. The front-rear direction is the Y direction, and the left-right direction orthogonal to the Y direction is the X direction.

On the right side of the main body cover 2, a liquid crystal display (LCD) 9 is provided as a display means for displaying necessary messages and the like for the user, and for the user to perform various instructions, selections, and input operations. A plurality of operation switches 65 (see FIG. 10) are provided.
The platen 3 includes a pair of front and rear plate members 3a and 3b, and is configured such that the upper surface portion forms an XY plane that is a horizontal plane. The platen 3 is set so that a holding sheet 10 that holds the workpiece 6 is placed thereon. When the workpiece 6 is cut, the holding sheet 10 is received by the platen 3. As will be described in detail later, an adhesive layer 10a in which an adhesive is applied to the upper surface of the holding sheet 10 except for both the left and right edges 10b is formed, and the object 6 is pasted on the adhesive layer 10a. Attached and held.

  The first moving means 7 moves the holding sheet 10 in the Y direction (first direction) on the upper surface side of the platen 3. That is, the left and right side walls 11a and 11b in the cutting device 1 are provided with the driving roller 12 and the pinch roller 13 so as to be positioned between the plate members 3a and 3b of the platen 3. The drive roller 12 and the pinch roller 13 extend in the X direction and are supported so as to be rotatable with respect to the side wall portions 11a and 11b. The driving roller 12 and the pinch roller 13 are arranged so as to be parallel to the XY plane and aligned in the vertical direction. The lower side is a driving roller 12 and the upper side is a pinch roller 13. As shown in FIG. 2, a crank-shaped first attachment frame 14 is provided on the right side wall portion 11 b so as to be positioned on the right side of the drive roller 12. A Y-axis motor 15 is fixed to the outside of the mounting frame 14. The Y-axis motor 15 is composed of, for example, a stepping motor, and the rotation shaft 15a passes through the first mounting frame 14 and has a gear portion 16a at the tip. A gear portion 16b that meshes with the gear portion 16a is fixed to the right end portion of the drive roller 12, and the first reduction gear mechanism 16 is configured by these gear portions 16a and 16b. The pinch roller 13 is guided by a guide groove 17b (only the right groove 17b is shown in FIG. 1) formed in the left and right side walls 11a and 11b so as to be movable in the vertical direction. The left and right side wall portions 11a and 11b are provided with spring accommodating portions 18a and 18b surrounding the guide groove 17b from the outside, respectively. The pinch roller 13 is urged downward by a compression coil spring (not shown) accommodated in the spring accommodating portions 18a and 18b. The pinch roller 13 is provided with a pressing portion 13 a that contacts and presses both the left and right edge portions 10 b of the holding sheet 10. The pressing portion 13a is formed to have a slightly larger outer diameter than other portions of the pinch roller 13.

  Here, the driving roller 12 and the pinch roller 13 press and hold the holding sheet 10 from above and below by the urging force of the compression coil spring (see FIG. 9). Then, when the Y-axis motor 15 is driven to rotate forward or reversely, the rotational motion is transmitted to the drive roller 12 via the first reduction gear mechanism 16 so that the holding sheet 10 is moved rearward or together with the workpiece 6 or Transport forward. The drive roller 12, the pinch roller 13, the Y-axis motor 15, the first reduction gear mechanism 16, the compression coil spring, etc. constitute the first moving means 7.

  The second moving means 8 moves the carriage 19 that supports the cutter holder 5 in the X direction (second direction). Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a guide shaft 20 and a guide frame 21 extending in the left-right direction are disposed between the left and right side wall portions 11a, 11b so as to be positioned at the rear end. . The guide shaft 20 is disposed in parallel with the drive roller 12 and the pinch roller 13. The guide shaft 20 passes through the lower portion of the carriage 19 (a through-hole portion 22 described later) immediately above the platen 3. The guide frame 21 has a U-shaped cross section in which a front edge portion 21a and a rear edge portion 21b are folded downward. The front edge portion 21 a is disposed in parallel with the guide shaft 20. The guide frame 21 guides the upper portion of the carriage 19 (guided bodies 23 and 23 described later) by the front edge portion 21a, and is fixed by screws 21c at the upper end portions of the side wall portions 11a and 11b.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a second mounting frame 24 is provided on the right side wall 11 b and an auxiliary frame 25 is provided on the left side wall 11 a at the rear part of the cutting device 1. An X-axis motor 26 and a second reduction gear mechanism 27 are disposed on the second mounting frame 24. The X-axis motor 26 is composed of, for example, a stepping motor, and is fixed to the front surface portion of the front mounting piece 24 a in the second mounting frame 24. The rotation shaft 26 a of the X-axis motor 26 passes through the attachment piece 24 a and has a gear portion 26 b that meshes with the second reduction gear mechanism 27 at the tip portion. The second reduction gear mechanism 27 is provided with a pulley 28. A pulley 29 is rotatably attached to the left auxiliary frame 25 in FIG. Between the pulley 28 and the pulley 29, an endless timing belt 31 connected to a rear end portion (a mounting portion 30 described later) of the carriage 19 is hung.

  Here, when the X-axis motor 26 is driven to rotate forward or reversely, the rotational motion is transmitted to the timing belt 31 via the second reduction gear mechanism 27 and the pulley 28, so that the carriage 19 is moved together with the cutter holder 5 to the left. Move to the right or to the right. Thus, the carriage 19 and the cutter holder 5 are moved in the X direction orthogonal to the Y direction in which the workpiece 6 is conveyed. The guide shaft 20, the guide frame 21, the X-axis motor 26, the second reduction gear mechanism 27, the pulleys 28 and 29, the timing belt 31, the carriage 19, etc. constitute the second moving means 8.

  The cutter holder 5 is disposed on the front side with respect to the carriage 19 and is supported so as to be movable in the vertical direction (third direction) as the Z direction. The configurations of the carriage 19 and the cutter holder 5 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the carriage 19 has a substantially rectangular box shape with the rear side opened. The upper wall portion 19a of the carriage 19 is integrally provided with a pair of front and rear guided bodies 23, 23 that are ribs having an arc shape in plan view and project upward. The guided bodies 23 and 23 are symmetrically disposed so as to sandwich the front edge portion 21 a of the guide frame 21. As shown in FIG. 4, a pair of left and right through-hole portions 22, 22 inserted through the guide shaft 20 are formed below the bottom wall portion 19 b of the carriage 19 so as to project downward. A mounting portion 30 (see FIGS. 5 and 6) connected to the timing belt 31 is provided on the bottom wall portion 19b of the carriage 19 so as to protrude rearward. Thus, the carriage 19 is supported by the guide shaft 20 inserted through the through-hole portions 22 and 22 so as to be slidable in the left-right direction, and around the guide shaft 20 by the guide frame 21 sandwiched between the guided bodies 23 and 23. It is supported so as not to rotate.

  As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, 5, 9, and the like, the front wall portion 19 c of the carriage 19 is integrally provided with a pair of upper and lower support portions 32 a and 32 b extending forward. A pair of left and right support shafts 33a and 33b penetrating the support portions 32a and 32b are supported on the carriage 19 so as to be movable up and down. A Z-axis motor 34 made of, for example, a stepping motor is disposed in the carriage 19 so as to be accommodated from the rear. The rotation shaft 34a of the Z-axis motor 34 (see FIGS. 3 and 9) passes through the front wall portion 19c of the carriage 19 and has a gear portion 35 at the tip. As shown in FIGS. 5, 6, and 9, the carriage 19 is provided with a gear shaft 37 that passes back and forth through a portion slightly lower than the center of the front wall portion 19 c. A gear portion 38 that meshes with the gear portion 35 on the front side of the front wall portion 19c is rotatably attached to the gear shaft 37, and is prevented from coming off by a retaining ring (not shown) at the front end portion of the gear shaft 37. . The gear part 38 and the gear part 35 constitute a third reduction mechanism 41 (see FIGS. 3 and 9).

  As shown in FIG. 7, a spiral groove 42 is formed in the gear portion 38. The spiral groove 42 is a cam groove having a spiral shape that approaches the center as it turns rightward from the first end portion 42a toward the second end portion 42b. As will be described in detail later, an engagement pin 43 that moves up and down integrally with the cutter holder 5 is engaged with the spiral groove 42 (see FIGS. 5 and 6). Here, when the Z-axis motor 34 is driven to rotate forward or reversely, the gear portion 38 rotates via the gear portion 35. As the gear portion 38 rotates, the engagement pin 43 that engages with the spiral groove 42 slides in the vertical direction. Accordingly, the cutter holder 5 is moved up or down together with the support shafts 33a and 33b. In this case, the cutter holder 5 has a raised position (see FIGS. 5 and 7) where the engaging pin 43 is located at the first end 42a of the spiral groove 42 and a lowered position where the engaging pin 43 is located at the second end 42b. It moves between positions (see FIG. 6 and FIG. 7). The third reduction mechanism 41 having the spiral groove 42, the Z-axis motor 34, the engagement pin 43, the support portions 32a and 32b, the support shafts 33a and 33b, and the like are third moving means 44 that moves the cutter holder 5 in the vertical direction. Configure.

The cutter holder 5 includes a holder main body 45 provided on the support shafts 33a and 33b, and a movable cylinder portion 46 that has a cutter 4 (cutting blade) and is held by the holder main body 45 so as to be movable up and down. A pressing device 47 for pressing the object 6 is provided.
That is, as shown in FIGS. 3, 4, 5, 9, and the like, the holder body 45 has a U-shape as a whole, with the upper end 45 a and the lower end 45 b folded back. The upper end 45a and the lower end 45b of the holder main body 45 are fixed to the support shafts 33a and 33b so as to be immovable by retaining rings 48 fixed to both upper and lower ends of the support shafts 33a and 33b. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a connecting member 49 provided with the engagement pin 43 rearward is fixed to an intermediate portion of the support shaft 33b. Thus, the holder main body 45, the support shafts 33a and 33b, the engagement pin 43, and the connecting member 49 are integrally formed, and the cutter holder 5 is moved in the vertical direction in conjunction with the engagement pin 43 by the third moving means 44. Moving. The support shafts 33 a and 33 b are each provided with a compression coil spring 50 as an urging member between the upper surface of the support portion 32 a and the upper end portion 45 a of the holder main body 45. The entire cutter holder 5 is elastically biased upward with respect to the carriage 19 side by the biasing force of the compression coil spring 50.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, attachment members 51 and 52 for attaching the movable cylinder portion 46, the pressing device 47, and the like are fixed to the intermediate portion of the holder main body 45 by screws 54a and 54b, respectively. The lower mounting member 52 is provided with a cylindrical portion 52a (see FIG. 5) that supports the movable cylindrical portion 46 so as to be movable up and down. The movable cylinder part 46 is set to have a diameter dimension that is in sliding contact with the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical part 52a, and a flange part 46a supported by the upper end of the cylindrical part 52a projects outward in the radial direction at the upper end part. Is formed. A spring receiving portion 46b is provided on the upper end surface of the flange portion 46a. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a compression coil spring 53 is disposed between the upper mounting member 51 and the spring receiving portion 46 b of the movable cylinder portion 46. The compression coil spring 53 urges the movable cylindrical portion 46 (cutter 4) toward the lower workpiece 6 side, and resists the urging force when an upward force is applied to the cutter 4 from the workpiece 6 side. Thus, the upward movement of the movable cylinder portion 46 is allowed.

  A cutter 4 extending in the axial direction is disposed in the movable cylinder portion 46 so as to pass therethrough. Specifically, the cutter 4 integrally includes a round bar-shaped cutter shaft 4b that is longer than the movable cylindrical portion 46 and a blade portion 4a formed at the lower end of the cutter shaft 4b. As shown in FIG. 8, the blade portion 4a has a substantially triangular shape, and the lowermost blade edge 4c is formed at a position eccentric from the central axis O of the cutter shaft 4b by a distance d. The cutter 4 is rotatably held around a central axis O (Z axis) in the vertical direction by bearings 55 (see FIG. 5) disposed at both upper and lower ends inside the movable cylindrical portion 46. Thus, the cutting edge 4c of the cutter 4 is pressed from the Z direction orthogonal to the XY plane which is the surface of the workpiece 6. Further, when the cutter holder 5 is moved to the lowered position, the cutter 4 has a cutting edge 4c that penetrates the workpiece 6 on the holding sheet 10 and does not reach the upper surface of the platen 3b of the platen 3 as shown in FIG. Is set. On the other hand, as the cutter holder 5 is moved to the raised position, the cutting edge 4c also moves upward, and the cutter 4 moves away from the workpiece 6 (see FIG. 5).

  In the mounting member 52, three guide hole portions 52b to 52d (see FIGS. 3, 4, 5, and 9) are formed at equal intervals on the periphery of the lower end portion of the cylindrical portion 52a. And the pressing member 56 which has the three guide rods 56b-56d penetrated by the guide hole parts 52b-52d is arrange | positioned under the cylindrical part 52a. The lower surface side of the pressing member 56 is a pressing portion main body 56a having a shallow bowl shape (or a gentle circular bowl shape), and the guide rods 56b to 56b formed at equal intervals on the upper peripheral edge. 56d is provided integrally. The pressing member 56 can move in the vertical direction by the guide rods 56b to 56d being guided by the guide hole portions 52b to 52d. A through hole 56e is formed in the central portion of the pressing portion main body 56a so as to extend in the vertical direction and project the blade portion 4a downward. And the lower end surface of the press part main body 56a is made into the contact part 56f which contacts the to-be-cut | disconnected object 6 around the blade part 4a. The contact portion 56f is a horizontal flat surface on an annular shape and makes surface contact with the workpiece 6. The contact portion 56f is made of, for example, a fluororesin such as Teflon (registered trademark), so that the friction coefficient is relatively low and the contact portion 56f is easy to slide with respect to the workpiece 6.

  As shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 4, FIG. 5, FIG. 9, etc., a guide portion 56g extending forward is integrally provided at the upper peripheral edge of the pressing portion main body 56a. The guide portion 56g is configured to include an inclined surface 56ga that is located on the front side and the upper side with respect to the contact portion 56f and is inclined downward toward the rear toward the contact portion 56f. Thereby, when the holding sheet 10 holding the workpiece 6 moves rearward with respect to the cutter holder 5, the guide portion 56g guides the lower portion so that the workpiece 6 is not caught by the contact portion 56f. To do.

  The mounting member 52 is integrally provided with a front mounting portion 52e for the solenoid 57 that is positioned on the front side of the cylindrical portion 52a and above the guide portion 56g. The solenoid 57 is an actuator for moving the pressing member 56 up and down to press the workpiece 6 and constitutes a pressing device 47 (pressing means) together with the pressing member 56 and a control circuit 61 described later. The solenoid 57 is attached downward to the front attachment portion 52e, and the distal end portion of the plunger 57a is fixed to the upper surface of the guide portion 56g. As will be described in detail later, when the solenoid 57 is driven at the lowered position of the cutter holder 5, the pressing member 56 moves downward together with the plunger 57a to press the workpiece 6 with a predetermined pressing force (see FIG. 9). . On the other hand, when the solenoid 57 is not driven, the plunger 57a is positioned upward and the pressing member 56 releases the pressing force on the workpiece 6. When the cutter holder 5 is moved to the raised position while the solenoid 57 is not driven (see the two-dot chain line in FIG. 5), the pressing member 56 is completely separated from the workpiece 6.

  The holding sheet 10 has an adhesive layer 10a (see FIG. 8) for holding the object 6 to be cut. When the workpiece 6 is cut by the cutting device 1, the workpiece 6 is held immovably with respect to the holding sheet 10 by the adhesive force of the adhesive layer 10 a and the pressing force of the pressing device 47. The holding sheet 10 as the holding member is made of, for example, a synthetic resin material and is formed in a flat plate rectangular shape (see FIG. 1). As shown in FIG. 8, an adhesive layer 10 a to which an adhesive is applied is formed on the upper surface of the holding sheet 10 (the surface facing the cutter 4). The pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 10a holds a sheet-like workpiece 6 such as paper, cloth, or resin film so as to be peelable. The adhesive force of the adhesive layer 10a is set to a relatively small value so that the workpiece 6 is not torn when the workpiece 6 is peeled from the adhesive layer 10a and can be easily peeled off.

Next, the configuration of the control system of the cutting apparatus 1 will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG.
A control circuit (control means) 61 that controls the entire cutting apparatus 1 is mainly composed of a computer (CPU), and is connected to a ROM 62, a RAM 63, and an external memory 64. The ROM 62 stores a cutting control program for controlling the cutting operation, a cutting data processing program to be described later, and the like. The RAM 63 temporarily stores data and programs necessary for various processes. The external memory 64 stores pattern cutting data of a plurality of types of patterns and overall data described later.

  The control circuit 61 receives operation signals from various operation switches 65 and controls the display on the liquid crystal display 9. At this time, the user selects and designates pattern cutting data of a desired pattern by operating various operation switches 65 while watching the display on the liquid crystal display 9. Detection signals of various detection sensors 66 such as a detection sensor for detecting the holding sheet 10 set from the opening 2 a of the cutting device 1 are input to the control circuit 61. The control circuit 61 is connected to drive circuits 67, 68, 69, and 70 for driving the Y-axis motor 15, the X-axis motor 26, the Z-axis motor 34, and the solenoid 57, respectively. The control circuit 61 controls the Y-axis motor 15, the X-axis motor 26, the Z-axis motor 34, and the solenoid 57 on the holding sheet 10 based on the pattern cutting data and frame cutting data described later by executing the cutting control program. The cutting operation for the workpiece 6 is automatically executed.

  The pattern cutting data will be described by taking as an example a case of cutting a plurality of (for example, three) patterns from the workpiece 6 held on the holding sheet 10. Further, it is assumed that the workpiece 6 is paper. That is, as shown in FIG. 12A, a “star” -shaped pattern A, a “circle” -shaped pattern B, and a “triangular” -shaped pattern C are cut out from the workpiece 6. . As shown in FIG. 11, the entire data in this case includes “number of patterns” which is information on the total number of patterns, pattern cutting data of “pattern A” to “pattern C”, and “pattern separation data”. . Here, the “number of patterns” is three, and the pattern cutting data of each pattern is composed of coordinate data in which the vertices of the cutting line composed of a plurality of line segments are indicated by XY coordinates.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 15 (a), the cutting line of the pattern A consists segment A1-A10, forms a closed star-shaped cutting start point _{P 0} and the cutting end point _{P 10} matches . The pattern cutting data, cutting start point _{P 0,} the vertex P1, the vertex P2, ..., the first coordinate data corresponding to each of the cutting end point _{P 10,} the second position data, the third coordinate data, ..., 11 coordinates Has data (see FIG. 11).
Cutting line pattern B is cut start point _{P 0} on its circumference, the vertex P1, the vertex P2, ..., segment B1, B2, B3 connecting respectively the cutting end point _{P n,} consists of .... The cutting line has a substantially circular shape as a whole by setting the distance between the vertices small, and the cutting start point P ₀ and the cutting end point P _n coincide. Pattern cut data pattern B is cut start point P _0, the vertex P1, the vertex P2, ..., the first coordinate data corresponding to each of the cutting end point P _n, the second position data, the third coordinate data, ..., the It has (n + 1) coordinate data.
Cutting line pattern C consists of three line segments C1 to C3, a triangular closed the cutting start point P ₀ and the cutting end point P ₃ matches. The pattern cutting data of the pattern C includes first coordinate data, second coordinate data, third coordinate data, and fourth coordinate data corresponding to the cutting start point P ₀ , the vertex P 1, the vertex P 2, and the cutting end point P _3. Have.

In the cutting device 1, when cutting the patterns A to C, cutting is sequentially performed from the pattern A in the entire data of FIG. 11. That is, first, the cutting start point P of the pattern A by the movement of the holding sheet 10 (the workpiece 6) in the Y direction by the first moving means 7 and the movement of the cutter holder 5 in the X direction by the second moving means 8. _The cutter 4 is moved relatively to the XY coordinate of ₀ . Then, the third by the moving means 44 to the cutting edge 4c of the cutter 4 by penetrating the cutting start point P ₀ of the object 6, the coordinates of the end point P ₁ of the line segment A1 by the first moving means 7 and the second moving means 8 The object 6 is cut along the line segment A1. Subsequent segment A2, as a starting point the end point P ₁ of the previous line segment A1, cutting similarly to the line segment A1 is performed continuously. In this way, the line segments A2 to A10 are also successively cut sequentially to cut the pattern A, that is, the “star” cutting line.

  Similarly, the pattern B and the pattern C are also cut in the order of a “circle” cutting line and a “triangular” cutting line based on the respective cutting data. Further, “pattern separation data” is attached to the end of each of the patterns A to C, and the cutter 4 is cut by the third moving unit 44 every time cutting of each cutting line is completed based on the pattern separation data. The blade edge 4 c is separated from the workpiece 6.

  Now, after cutting the above-mentioned three patterns A to C along the cutting line on the workpiece 6 (for example, paper) held on the holding sheet 10, the user can make a “star”, “circle” from the holding sheet 10. ”And“ triangle ”patterns A to C are removed. Here, conventionally, in order to remove the patterns A to C neatly, the entire workpiece 6 outside the patterns A to C is first removed as an unnecessary portion. Therefore, there was a lot of waste of the workpiece 6. In addition, it took time and effort to remove unnecessary portions.

Therefore, in the cutting apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, frame cutting data for cutting out only an area indicated by hatching in FIG. 12B as an unnecessary portion is created by the software configuration (execution of the cutting data processing program), for example. . The frame cutting data is coordinate data in which the vertices P _{0 to} P ₄ of the frame cutting line made up of a plurality of line segments L21 to L24 (see the broken lines in FIG. 15A) are indicated by XY coordinates in the same manner as the pattern cutting data. is there. The frame cutting line is set according to the outline of the pattern and the arrangement of the pattern.

  Specifically, the control circuit 61 extracts the contours of the patterns A to C based on the whole data as an extracting unit. Here, in the patterns A to C, each cutting line corresponds to an outline. Further, based on these contours, a minimum rectangular border frame F11 (see the two-dot chain line in FIG. 15A) that includes all the contours is set. The boundary frame F11 has a minimum rectangular shape that touches each of the contours of the patterns A to C and includes the entire contour, and each vertex of the boundary frame F11 is obtained from the XY coordinates of each contour. That is, when the upper left corner on the paper surface of FIG. 15 is the origin of the XY coordinates, the border frame F11 is in contact with the left end point where the X coordinate is the smallest among the contours, and the line segment L14 is maximized. The right end point is in contact with the line segment L12, the upper end point where the Y coordinate is minimum is in contact with the line segment L11, and the lower end point where the Y coordinate is maximum is in contact with the line segment L13. Thus, the boundary frame F11 is determined by the contours of the patterns A to C. In addition, when the patterns A to C are arranged as shown in FIG. 15B, the boundary frame F12 has a minimum rectangular shape in contact with a part of the outline or the vertex of the patterns A to C.

  Then, the boundary frame F11 is enlarged based on, for example, a preset offset amount so as to be separated from the boundary frame F11 by a predetermined distance (an amount corresponding to the offset amount) to create an enlarged frame F21 (see FIG. 15 (a) (see broken line). The offset amount is the amount of movement in the X direction and the Y direction, and data of the enlarged frame F21 is created by performing a predetermined calculation process on the coordinate data of each vertex of the boundary frame F11. The offset amount may be designated directly by the user by operating the operation switch 65, or by directly specifying a numerical value or an enlargement magnification.

Then, based on the coordinate data of the vertices P _{0 to} P ₃ of the enlarged frame F21, frame cutting data in which the cutting start point P ₀ and the cutting end point P ₄ coincide is created. The control circuit 61 is frame setting means and frame enlargement means for setting and enlarging the boundary frame as described above, and is cutting data creation means for creating frame cutting data. Here, as will be described in detail in the following operation, the boundary frame is not limited to one rectangular frame surrounding all the patterns A to C like the boundary frame F11, but is set for each pattern. Alternatively, it may be a polygonal shape other than a rectangle or a curved shape (see FIG. 19).

  A specific processing procedure related to creation of frame cutting data before the cutting of the pattern is started will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, the flowcharts of FIGS. 13, 14, 16, and 18 show the flow of the cutting data processing program executed by the control circuit 61. In the following, a case where a plurality of patterns are cut based on the whole data of FIG. 11 will be described as an example.

  First, when the user selects pattern cutting data of a desired pattern from the cutting data stored in the external memory 64, for example, the pattern cutting data (the whole data) is read from the external memory 64 and stored in the memory of the RAM 63. Be expanded. On the other hand, at the start of cutting, the control circuit 61 causes the liquid crystal display 9 to display the type of the enlargement frame to be cut out as a region outside the pattern and inside the enlargement frame, that is, an unnecessary part region. In the case of this embodiment, the type of the enlargement frame is “group frame”, “individual frame”, and “outline frame”. The user selects the type of enlargement frame by operating the operation switch 65 (step S1). If the control circuit 61 determines that “group frame” has been selected (YES in step S2), the control circuit 61 proceeds to group frame data creation processing in step S3 (see FIG. 14).

  In the group frame data creation process, the control circuit 61 refers to the entire data and extracts the contours of the patterns A to C formed on the workpiece 6. Then, as indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 15A, based on the XY coordinates of the extracted contour, a minimum boundary frame F11 that surrounds all the contours is set (step S11). As shown in FIG. 15B, when the patterns A to C are arranged so as to be shifted from each other in the X direction and the Y direction, a minimum boundary frame F12 is set according to the arrangement. In any of the boundary frames F11 and F12, the coordinates of each vertex are obtained as a boundary frame having a rectangular shape that surrounds all the patterns A to C from the outside.

Next, the boundary frame F11 is enlarged so as to be separated outward based on, for example, a preset offset amount (step S12). Thereby, an enlarged frame F21 indicated by a broken line in FIG. Then, based on the coordinate data of the vertices P _{0 to} P ₃ of the enlarged frame F21, frame cutting data having the vertex P ₀ as the cutting start point and the cutting end point P ₄ is created. In the memory of the RAM 63, the created frame cutting data is written so as to be added to the whole data (step S13), and the process is terminated.

  Thereafter, the user holds the object to be cut 6 (for example, paper) on the holding sheet 10 so as to stick to the adhesive layer 10a. Then, the holding sheet 10 is set from the opening 2 a of the cutting device 1, and the start of cutting is instructed by operating the operation switch 65. As a result, the patterns A to C are sequentially cut based on the respective pattern cutting data. After the cutting of the pattern C is completed, the enlarged frame F21 is cut in the order of the line segments L21 to L24 based on the frame cutting data. The enlarged frame F21 may be cut first, and the patterns A to C may be cut later.

Thus, as shown in FIGS. 12B and 15A, the patterns A to C are cut and the enlarged frame F21 including all the patterns A to C is cut. Then, the user first peels off unnecessary portions outside the patterns A to C and inside the enlarged frame F21 from the holding sheet 10, and then peels off the patterns A to C of "star", "circle", and "triangle".
On the other hand, an enlarged frame F22 is created for the boundary frame F12 shown in FIG. 15B as well as the boundary frame F11. The enlarged frame F22 includes line segments L21 to L24, and frame cutting data is created based on the coordinate data. Therefore, even when the patterns A to C are arranged so as to be shifted from each other in the X direction and the Y direction, the enlarged frame F22 corresponding to the arrangement is cut.

  If the control circuit 61 determines that the “group frame” is not set in step S2 (NO) and the “individual frame” is set in step S4 (YES), the individual circuit data generation in step S5 is performed. The process proceeds (see FIG. 16).

In the individual frame data creation process, unlike the boundary frames F11 and F12, boundary frames F31A to F31C are set for each of the patterns A to C for each of the contours (see FIG. 17A). That is, in step S22 of FIG. 16, the contour is extracted with reference to the cutting data of the pattern A, and each boundary frame F31A (two-dot chain line in FIG. 17A) that touches the “star” and surrounds the contour. Vertex coordinates are determined. The boundary frame F31A is created based on the XY coordinates of the extracted contour so as to have a minimum rectangular shape including only the pattern A. Then, the boundary frame F31A is enlarged so as to be separated outward by, for example, a preset offset amount. Thereby, an enlarged frame F41A indicated by a broken line in FIG. Then, based on the coordinate data of the vertices P _{0 to} P ₃ of the enlarged frame F41A, frame cutting data having the vertex P ₀ as the cutting start point and the cutting end point P ₄ is created (step S23).

Since the control circuit 61 has only created only the frame cutting data of the pattern A (NO in step S21), the contour of the pattern B is extracted with reference to the cutting data in the same manner as the pattern A. A rectangular boundary frame F31B surrounding the outline of the “circle” is set (see step S22, FIG. 17A). In addition, the boundary frame F31B is enlarged based on the offset amount to create an enlarged frame F41B indicated by a broken line in FIG. Then, based on the coordinate data of the vertices P _{0 to} P ₃ of the enlarged frame F41B, frame cutting data having the vertex P ₀ as the cutting start point and the cutting end point P ₄ is created (step S23). For the pattern C as well, a rectangular boundary frame F31C surrounding the “triangular” outline is set (step S22), and the boundary frame F31C is enlarged based on the offset amount to create an enlarged frame F41C. Further, frame cutting data having the vertex P ₀ as the cutting start point and the cutting end point P ₄ is created based on the coordinate data of the vertices P _{0 to} P ₃ of the enlarged frame F41C (step S23).

  As shown in FIG. 17B, even when the patterns A to C are arranged so as to be shifted from each other in the X direction and the Y direction, the boundary frames F32A to F32C are set for each of the patterns A to C. Further, enlarged frames F42A to F42C obtained by enlarging the boundary frames F32A to F32C based on the offset amount are set, and frame cutting data is created for the enlarged frames F42A to F42C.

  Thus, when the frame cutting data is created for all the enlarged frames F41A to F41C or the enlarged frames F42A to F42C of the patterns A to C (YES in step S21), the process proceeds to step S24. In step S24, the control circuit 61 determines whether any of the enlarged frames F41A to F41C or the enlarged frames F42A to F42C overlap each other.

Patterns A to C in FIG. 17A are arranged at equal intervals, and there is no portion overlapping the enlarged frames F41A to F41C (NO in step S24). On the other hand, the pattern B and the pattern C in FIG. 17B are located close to each other, and the enlarged frame F42B and the enlarged frame F42C overlap (YES in step S24). Therefore, the control circuit 61 performs processing for correcting the frame cutting data of the enlarged frames F42A to F42C to data excluding the overlapping portion (the thin line Z portion in FIG. 17B) (step S25). Thus, the frame cut data expansion frame F42B the enlargement frame F42C is one frame cut data linked expansion frame F42B the enlargement frame F42C to vertex _{P 0} of the enlargement frame F42B a cutting start point and cutting end point _{P 8} As amended. In the memory of the RAM 63, the cutting data of the enlarged frame F42A and one frame cutting data obtained by connecting the enlarged frame F42B and the enlarged frame F42C are written so as to be added to the whole data (step S26), and the process is finished. .
If it is determined in step S24 that there is no portion overlapping the enlarged frames F41A to F41C (NO, see FIG. 17A), the frame cutting data created in step S23 is written to be added to the entire data. (Step S26), the process ends.

  Therefore, after that, in the cutting apparatus 1, by cutting the workpiece 6 on the holding sheet 10 based on the pattern cutting data of the patterns A to C and the frame cutting data, the patterns A to C and the enlarged frame F41A to F41C (or the enlarged frames F42A to F42C) can be cut. In this manner, unnecessary portions outside the pattern and inside the enlarged frames F41A to F41C can be peeled off for each of the patterns A to C in FIG. On the other hand, even if the pattern B and the pattern C are close to each other as in the patterns A to C in FIG. 17B, the overlapping portions of the enlarged frame F42B and the enlarged frame F42C are not cut, so the patterns B and C are cut. It will never be done.

If the control circuit 61 determines that the “group frame” is not set in step S2 (NO) and the “individual frame” is not set in step S4 (NO), the outline frame data in step S6. The process proceeds to creation processing (see FIG. 18).
In the outline frame data creation processing, boundary frames F51A to F51C that respectively match the contours of the patterns A to C are set (see FIG. 19A). That is, in step S32 of FIG. 18, the contour is extracted with reference to the cutting data of the pattern A, and the boundary frame F51A (two-dot chain line in FIG. 19A) having the same shape as the contour of the “star” is set. Then, the boundary frame F51A having a “star” shape is enlarged so as to be spaced outward based on a preset offset amount. Thereby, an enlarged frame F61A indicated by a broken line in FIG. Then, based on the coordinate data of the vertices P _{0 to} P ₉ of the enlarged frame F61A, frame cutting data having the vertex P ₀ as the cutting start point and the cutting end point P ₁₀ is created (step S33).

Since the control circuit 61 has only created only the frame cutting data of the pattern A (NO in step S31), the contour of the pattern B is extracted with reference to the cutting data in the same manner as the pattern A. A boundary frame F51B coinciding with “circle” is set (see step S32, FIG. 19A). Further, the boundary frame F51B is enlarged based on the offset amount, and an enlarged frame F61B indicated by a broken line in the drawing is created (step S33). Then, based on the coordinate data of the vertices P _{0 to} P _n−1 of the enlarged frame F61B, frame cutting data having the vertex P ₀ as the cutting start point and the cutting end point P _n is created. For the pattern C as well, a “triangle” -shaped boundary frame F51C is set (step S32), and the boundary frame F51C is enlarged based on the offset amount to create an enlarged frame F61C. Further, based on the coordinate data of the vertices P _{0 to} P ₂ of the enlarged frame F61B, frame cutting data having the vertex P ₀ as the cutting start point and the cutting end point P ₃ is created (step S33).

  Note that, as shown in FIG. 19B, even when the patterns A to C are arranged so as to be shifted from each other in the X direction and the Y direction, the boundary frames F52A to F52C that match the respective outlines for each of the patterns A to C. Is set. Further, the enlarged frames F62A to F62C are set by enlarging the boundary frames F52A to F52C based on the offset amount, and frame cutting data is created for the enlarged frames F62A to F62C.

  Thus, when the frame cutting data is created for all the enlarged frames F61A to F61C (or the enlarged frames F62A to F62C) of the patterns A to C (YES in step S31), the process proceeds to step S34. In step S34, the control circuit 61 determines whether any of the enlarged frames F61A to F61C or the enlarged frames F62A to F62C overlap each other.

Patterns A to C in FIG. 19A are arranged at equal intervals, and there is no portion overlapping the enlarged frames F61A to F61C (NO in step S34). On the other hand, the pattern B and the pattern C in FIG. 19B are located close to each other, and the enlarged frame F62B and the enlarged frame F62C overlap (YES in step S34). Therefore, the control circuit 61 performs processing for correcting the frame cutting data of the enlarged frames F62A to F62C to data excluding the overlapping portion (the thin line Z portion in FIG. 19B) (step S35). Thus, the frame cut data expansion frame F62B the enlargement frame F62C is one frame cut data linked expansion frame F62B the enlargement frame F62C to vertex _{P 0} of the enlargement frame F62B a cutting start point and cutting end point _{P n} As amended. In the memory of the RAM 63, the cutting data of the enlargement frame F62A and one frame cutting data obtained by connecting the enlargement frame F62B and the enlargement frame F62C are written so as to be added to the entire data (step S36), and the processing is ended. .
If it is determined in step S34 that there is no portion overlapping the enlarged frames F61A to F61C (NO, see FIG. 19A), the frame cutting data created in step S33 is written to be added to the entire data. (Step S36), the process ends.

  Thereafter, in the cutting device 1, the patterns A to C and the enlarged frames F <b> 61 </ b> A to F are obtained by cutting the workpiece 6 on the holding sheet 10 based on the pattern cutting data of the patterns A to C and the frame cutting data. F61C (or the enlarged frames F62A to F62C) can be cut. In this manner, unnecessary portions outside the pattern and inside the enlarged frames F61A to F61C can be peeled off for each of the patterns A to C in FIG. In this case, the frames F61A to F61C have similar shapes in which the outlines of the patterns A to C are enlarged. Therefore, since the area of the unnecessary portion can be further reduced, waste of the workpiece can be reduced as much as possible. On the other hand, even if the pattern B and the pattern C are close to each other as in the patterns A to C in FIG. 19B, the overlapping portions of the enlarged frame F62B and the enlarged frame F62C are not cut, so the patterns B and C are cut. It will never be done.

  At the time of cutting, the workpiece 6 can be pressed by the contact portion 56f by driving the solenoid 57, and can be held so as not to be displaced by the adhesive force of the adhesive layer 10a in the holding sheet 10. At this time, the pressing member 56 moves relative to the workpiece 6, but the contact portion 56 f of the pressing member 56 is made of a material having a low coefficient of friction, so the contact portion 56 f and the workpiece 6 The frictional force generated between the two can be reduced as much as possible. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the workpiece 6 from being displaced due to the frictional force and hold the workpiece 6 more reliably, and accurately cut the workpiece 6 based on the cutting data and the frame cutting data. can do.

  As described above, the control circuit 61 of the present embodiment extracts the contours of the patterns A to C, and the boundary of the polygonal shape or the curved shape including the contour based on the contour extracted by the extraction processing. A frame setting process for setting a minimum boundary frame which is a frame is executed (see steps S11, S22, S32, etc.). In addition, the control circuit 61 enlarges the boundary frame set by the frame setting means so as to be spaced apart from the boundary frame by a predetermined distance, and the frame cutting data of the enlarged frame expanded by the frame enlargement processing. The frame cutting data creation process for creating the frame is executed (see steps S12, S23, S33, etc.).

  According to this, the expansion frame of a polygonal shape or a curve shape can be cut around the patterns A to C. At this time, the area outside the patterns A to C and the inside of the enlargement frame, that is, the area of the unnecessary portion is the minimum necessary size according to the contours of the patterns A to C. Therefore, unlike the conventional case, the entire object to be cut 6 other than the pattern is not an unnecessary portion, and therefore waste of the object to be cut 6 can be reduced. Moreover, since the unnecessary part is the minimum necessary size, the unnecessary part can be easily peeled off.

The control circuit 61 sets the boundary frame F11 (or the boundary frame F12) that includes all the contours of the patterns A to C, and expands the boundary frame F11 to an enlarged frame F21.
For this reason, even if it cut | disconnects several pattern AC, since an unnecessary part turns into one connected area | region, an unnecessary part can be peeled off more easily.

The control circuit 61 sets boundary frames F31A to F31C (or boundary frames F32A to F32C) for each of the patterns A to C, enlarges the set boundary frames F31A to F31C, and enlarges frames F41A to F41C (or enlargement frames). F42A to F42C). Then, when any of the enlarged frames F42A to F42C overlap each other, the control circuit 61 creates frame cutting data for a portion excluding the overlapping portion (see FIG. 17B).
According to this, the area | region of an unnecessary part can be made smaller and the waste of the to-be-cut | disconnected object 6 can be reduced as much as possible. Further, when the enlargement frame F42B and the enlargement frame F42C overlap, the unnecessary portions can be joined together by the overlapping portions. Further, it is possible to avoid cutting the adjacent patterns B and C.

The control circuit 61 sets boundary frames F51A to F51C (or boundary frames F52A to F52C) that coincide with the contours for each of the patterns A to C, expands the set boundary frames F51A to F51C, and enlarges frames F61A to F61C ( Alternatively, the enlarged frames F62A to F62C). Then, when any of the enlarged frames F62A to F62C overlaps each other, the control circuit 61 creates frame cutting data for a portion excluding the overlapping portion (see FIG. 19B).
According to this, the area | region of an unnecessary part becomes a similar shape which expanded the outline of pattern AC. Therefore, since the area of the unnecessary portion can be further reduced, waste of the workpiece 6 can be reduced as much as possible. Further, when the enlargement frame F62B and the enlargement frame F62C overlap each other, unnecessary regions can be joined together by the overlapping portions. Moreover, it can avoid cutting the adjacent patterns B and C.

Second Embodiment
FIG. 20 shows a second embodiment of the present invention, and the differences from the first embodiment will be described. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same part as 1st Embodiment.
A personal computer (referred to as PC 80) shown in FIG. 20 is configured as a cutting data processing device that processes the cutting data described above. That is, the control circuit 81 of the PC 80 is mainly configured by a computer (CPU), and is connected with a ROM 82, a RAM 83, and an EEPROM 84. The PC 80 is connected with an input unit 85 including a keyboard and a mouse for the user to perform various instructions, selections, and input operations, and a display unit for displaying necessary messages to the user. (Eg LCD) 86 is provided.

  The PC 80 includes a communication unit 87 for wired connection or wireless connection to the cutting device 1. The communication unit 87 is connected to the communication unit 79 of the cutting device 1 via, for example, a cable 87a. As a result, data including the pattern cutting data and the frame cutting data can be transmitted and received between the PC 80 and the cutting device 1. A control circuit (control means) 81 controls the entire PC 80 and executes the cutting data processing program and the like. The ROM 82 stores a cutting data processing program and the like. The RAM 83 temporarily stores data and programs necessary for various processes, and has a storage area for storing pattern cutting data and frame cutting data, as in the first embodiment. The EEPROM 84 stores various pattern cutting data (whole data).

  Then, the control circuit 81 reads the pattern cutting data of the EEPROM 84 and executes the processing of the cutting data processing program, that is, the processing of the flowcharts shown in FIG. 13, FIG. 14, FIG. As a result, similarly to the first embodiment, the frame cutting data of the type of enlarged frame selected by the user is created in correspondence with the pattern cutting data. The created frame cutting data is added to the cutting data and overwritten in the EEPROM 84.

  As described above, the control circuit 81 is configured as an extraction unit, a frame setting unit, a frame enlargement unit, and a frame cutting data creation unit, as with the control circuit 61 of the first embodiment. Therefore, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained, for example, the area of the unnecessary portion in the cutting of the patterns A to C becomes the minimum necessary size according to the outlines of the patterns A to C.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above and shown in the drawings, and can be modified or expanded as follows. The present invention is not limited to the cutting device 1 as the cutting plotter described above, and can be applied to various devices having a cutting function.

  The cutting data processing program stored in the storage unit of the cutting device 1 or the PC 80 may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a USB memory, a CD-ROM, a flexible disk, a DVD, or a flash memory. In this case, the recording medium is read and executed by a computer of various data processing apparatuses, and the same operations and effects as the above-described embodiment are obtained.

1 Cutting device 4 Cutting blade (cutter)
6 Cutting object 61, 81 Extraction means, frame setting means, frame enlargement means, frame cutting data creation means 80 Cutting data processing devices A to C Patterns F11 and F12 Boundary frames F21 and F22 Enlarged frames F31A to F31C, F32A to F32C Boundaries Frames F41A to F41C, F42A to F42C Enlargement frames F51A to F51C, F52A to F52C Boundary frames F61A to F61C, F62A to F62C Enlargement frames

Claims (10)

A cutting device for cutting a desired pattern from the workpiece by relatively moving the cutting blade and the workpiece,
Extraction means for extracting the outline of the pattern based on the pattern cutting data for cutting the pattern;
A frame setting means for setting a minimum boundary frame which is a polygonal or curved boundary frame including the contour based on the contour extracted by the extraction unit;
A frame enlarging means for enlarging the boundary frame set by the frame setting means so as to be spaced apart from the boundary frame by a predetermined distance;
Frame cutting data creating means for creating frame cutting data for cutting the enlarged frame enlarged by the frame enlarging means,
A cutting apparatus for cutting the pattern and the enlarged frame from the object to be cut based on the pattern cutting data and the frame cutting data. The pattern is a pattern group consisting of a plurality of patterns,
The extraction means extracts an outline for each individual pattern of the pattern group,
The frame setting means sets a minimum boundary frame which is a polygonal or curved boundary frame including all of the respective contours extracted by the extraction unit,
The cutting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the frame enlarging unit expands the boundary frame set by the frame setting unit. The pattern is a pattern group consisting of a plurality of patterns,
The extraction means extracts an outline for each individual pattern of the pattern group,
The frame setting means sets the boundary frame for each contour extracted by the extraction means,
The frame enlarging means enlarges each boundary frame set by the frame setting means,
2. The frame cutting data creating unit creates frame cutting data of a portion excluding the overlapping portion when any of the enlarged frames enlarged by the frame enlarging unit overlaps each other. The cutting device as described. The pattern is a pattern group consisting of a plurality of patterns,
The extraction means extracts an outline for each individual pattern of the pattern group,
The frame setting means sets a boundary frame that matches each contour extracted by the extraction means,
The frame enlarging means enlarges each boundary frame set by the frame setting means so as to be spaced apart from the outline by a predetermined distance,
2. The frame cutting data creating unit creates frame cutting data of a portion excluding the overlapping portion when any of the enlarged frames enlarged by the frame enlarging unit overlaps each other. The cutting device as described. A cutting data processing device that processes cutting data for a cutting device that cuts a desired pattern from the workpiece by relatively moving the cutting blade and the workpiece,
Extraction means for extracting the outline of the pattern based on the pattern cutting data for cutting the pattern;
A frame setting means for setting a minimum boundary frame which is a polygonal or curved boundary frame including the contour based on the contour extracted by the extraction unit;
A frame enlarging means for enlarging the boundary frame set by the frame setting means so as to be spaced apart from the boundary frame by a predetermined distance;
Frame cutting data creating means for creating frame cutting data for cutting the enlarged frame enlarged by the frame expanding means;
A cutting data processing apparatus comprising: The pattern is a pattern group consisting of a plurality of patterns,
The extraction means extracts an outline for each individual pattern of the pattern group,
The frame setting means sets a minimum boundary frame which is a polygonal or curved boundary frame including all of the respective contours extracted by the extraction unit,
6. The cutting data processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the frame enlarging unit expands the boundary frame set by the frame setting unit. The pattern is a pattern group consisting of a plurality of patterns,
The extraction means extracts an outline for each individual pattern of the pattern group,
The frame setting means sets the boundary frame for each contour extracted by the extraction means,
The frame enlarging means enlarges each boundary frame set by the frame setting means,
6. The frame cutting data creating unit creates frame cutting data of a portion excluding the overlapping portion when any of the enlarged frames enlarged by the frame enlarging unit overlap each other. The cutting data processing apparatus as described. The pattern is a pattern group consisting of a plurality of patterns,
The extraction means extracts an outline for each individual pattern of the pattern group,
The frame setting means sets a boundary frame that matches each contour extracted by the extraction means,
The frame enlarging means enlarges each boundary frame set by the frame setting means so as to be spaced apart from the outline by a predetermined distance,
6. The frame cutting data creating unit creates frame cutting data of a portion excluding the overlapping portion when any of the enlarged frames enlarged by the frame enlarging unit overlap each other. The cutting data processing apparatus as described. A program for causing a computer of a cutting apparatus to cut a desired pattern from the object to be cut by moving the cutting blade and the object to be cut relatively,
In the computer,
Based on pattern cutting data for cutting the pattern, an extraction process for extracting the outline of the pattern;
Based on the contour extracted by the extraction process, a frame setting process for setting a minimum boundary frame which is a polygonal or curved boundary frame including the contour;
A frame enlarging process for enlarging the boundary frame set by the frame setting means so as to be spaced apart from the boundary frame by a predetermined distance;
Frame cutting data creation processing for creating frame cutting data for cutting the enlarged frame enlarged by the frame enlargement processing;
Cutting data processing program for executing.   The recording medium which recorded the cutting data processing program of Claim 9 so that reading to the computer of the cutting device was possible.

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