JP2014113665A - Sheet cutting device and image formation apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sheet cutting device and image formation apparatus capable of suppressing a change in the attitude of a cutter housing at a time of cutting a sheet and lessening load at a time of rotation of the cutter housing.SOLUTION: A sheet cutting device includes: a cutter housing 51 configured to be movable in a sheet width direction in a state of retreating downward of a sheet transport path in a sheet thickness direction after cutting a sheet; a moving member movable in the sheet width direction; a rotational shaft connecting the cutter housing 51 to the movable member; and pressing member 100 and a coil spring 101 pressing the cutter housing 51 downward in the sheet thickness direction by contacting a guide member during a sheet cutting operation.

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet cutting apparatus for cutting a sheet wound in a roll shape to an arbitrary length, and more particularly to a sheet cutting apparatus mounted on an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a copying machine, or a facsimile.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known an image forming apparatus of a type that transports a long sheet wound in a roll shape (hereinafter referred to as roll paper) in a predetermined transport direction and forms an image on the roll paper. In general, such an image forming apparatus is equipped with a sheet cutting device that moves a cutter in a width direction orthogonal to a roll paper conveyance direction and cuts the roll paper into a predetermined length.

  In the sheet cutting apparatus as described above, it is necessary to return the cutter unit that holds the cutter to the original position (home position) in order to prepare for the subsequent sheet cutting after the sheet cutting. At this time, if the forward path in which the cutter travels to cut the sheet and the return path to return the cutter to the home position are the same path, the cutter contacts the already cut sheet in the return path, and the movement of the cutter unit is hindered. There is a risk of causing problems such as so-called cut jam.

  Therefore, in recent years, in order to prevent such problems as cut jams, the leading edge of the sheet positioned upstream of the cutter in the conveyance direction among the sheets divided into two after the cutter's return path is cut with respect to the forward path of the cutter ( There is known an image forming apparatus provided with a sheet cutting device which is provided at a position separated from the downstream side in the conveyance direction from the leading edge of the succeeding sheet so that the path is different between the forward path and the backward path of the cutter (for example, Patent Document 1).

  However, in this image forming apparatus, since the carriage for holding the recording head and the cutter unit are arranged independently in the transport direction, the width of the apparatus main body in the transport direction becomes large. Further, in the image forming apparatus, it is possible to avoid contact between the cutter and the cut sheet on the return path by making the forward path and the return path of the cutter different, but the cutter unit itself is located on the sheet conveyance path. It remains. For this reason, subsequent sheets cannot be conveyed until the cutter and the cutter unit are returned to the home position, and productivity cannot be improved.

  Accordingly, the applicant of the present application has proposed an invention (hereinafter referred to as “prior application invention”) for the purpose of providing a novel sheet cutting apparatus capable of solving this problem and an image forming apparatus having the sheet cutting apparatus. In the prior invention, the width of the apparatus body in the conveyance direction is reduced by arranging the carriage and the cutter unit in the sheet thickness direction, and the return path from the sheet conveyance path to the sheet thickness in the conveyance direction is reduced. By providing it at a position retracted in the direction, the cutter unit after cutting the sheet can move along the return path while being retracted from the conveyance path.

  However, in the sheet cutting apparatus according to the invention of the prior application having such a configuration, the sheet can be cut by pulling the cutter housing with the moving member in the width direction of the sheet, while it moves after the sheet is cut. The cutter unit is retracted from the sheet conveyance path by rotating the cutter housing with respect to the member. Here, in such a sheet cutting device, it is necessary to form a clearance between the rotating shaft of the cutter housing and the bearing hole of the rotating shaft, and the posture of the cutter housing varies depending on the cutting load generated when the sheet is cut. There is a concern to do. Therefore, in such a sheet cutting device according to the invention of the prior application, it is necessary to prevent the sheet from being bent and cut by changing the posture of the cutter housing.

  However, if the relative position of the cutter housing is firmly fixed with respect to the rotation shaft in order to suppress such a change in the posture of the cutter housing when the sheet is cut, a load when the cutter housing rotates increases. There is a risk. Therefore, in such a sheet cutting device according to the invention of the prior application, it is necessary to prevent the load during rotation of the cutter housing from increasing while suppressing fluctuations in the posture of the cutter housing.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides a sheet cutting device and an image forming apparatus capable of suppressing a change in the posture of the cutter housing during sheet cutting and reducing a load during rotation of the cutter housing. .

  In order to achieve the above object, a sheet cutting apparatus according to the present invention is a sheet cutting apparatus that cuts a sheet conveyed along a conveyance path into a predetermined length, and accommodates a cutter including a blade portion that cuts the sheet. In addition, the sheet cutting operation is performed above the sheet in the thickness direction, and after the sheet is cut, the sheet is conveyed in the conveyance direction of the sheet in a state where the sheet is retracted below the sheet thickness direction with respect to the conveyance path. A cutter housing configured to be movable in the orthogonal width direction, and provided to be separated from the cutter housing in the sheet conveying direction and movable along a guide member provided in the width direction. The movable member is connected to the cutter housing and the movable member, and the cutter housing is rotated in the thickness direction of the seat with respect to the movable member. It has a connecting member having a central axis which, during the cutting operation of the sheet, a configuration in which a press elastic member said cutter housing in the thickness direction of the sheet by contact with the guide member.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a sheet cutting device and an image forming apparatus that can suppress a change in the posture of the cutter housing during sheet cutting and reduce the load during rotation of the cutter housing.

1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus including a sheet cutting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic side view of an ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic rear view which shows the structure of the sheet cutting device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. (A) is a schematic side view which shows the partial cross section of the sheet cutting device which concerns on embodiment of this invention, (b) is a schematic top view which shows the partial cross section of a sheet cutting device. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which the cutter housing which concerns on embodiment of this invention returned to the roll paper cutting | disconnection operation | movement area | region. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state at the time of return path | route transfer of the cutter housing which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a partial cross section side view which shows the state at the time of the return path | route transfer of the cutter housing which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state at the time of the backward movement of the cutter housing which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation | movement for the cutter housing which concerns on embodiment of this invention to return to a home position from a return path. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state at the time of roll paper cutting operation area | region return of the cutter housing which concerns on embodiment of this invention. (A) is the schematic perspective view which looked at the cutter unit which concerns on embodiment of this invention from the back side, (b) is the schematic perspective view seen from the front side. It is a disassembled perspective view of the cutter unit which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic which shows the transmission structure of the rotational driving force of the drive roller which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view of the moving member which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic perspective view of the 1st elastic member and coil spring which concern on embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the attachment structure of the 1st elastic member and coil spring which concern on embodiment of this invention. (A) is a schematic side view which shows the state in which the cutter unit which concerns on embodiment of this invention is moving to a roll paper cutting operation area | region, (b) is a cutter unit existing in a roll paper cutting operation area | region. It is a schematic side view which shows the state which exists. It is a schematic side view which shows the case where the cutter unit which concerns on embodiment of this invention switches a movement path | route from an outward path to a return path | route. It is a schematic top view which shows the state by which the moving member which concerns on embodiment of this invention was hold | maintained at the guide rail. (A) is a schematic front view of the cutter unit at the time of forward movement according to the embodiment of the present invention, and (b) is a schematic front view of the cutter unit at the time of backward movement. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the attachment structure of the 2nd elastic member which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the relationship between the 2nd elastic member and roller shaft which concern on embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  1 to 22 are diagrams showing an embodiment of a sheet cutting apparatus and an image forming apparatus according to the present invention, and show an example in which the image forming apparatus is applied to an ink jet recording apparatus.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an ink jet recording apparatus 1 as an image forming apparatus forms an image while scanning an ink jet head in the width direction of the sheet, and after one or more scans are completed, the sheet Is a so-called serial type ink jet recording apparatus that forms a next recording line.

  Not only the serial type, but also a so-called line type ink jet recording apparatus in which a plurality of nozzles are formed almost throughout the entire width direction of the sheet, and recording is performed while the sheet is conveyed without scanning in the width direction. Is possible.

  The ink jet recording apparatus 1 includes an image forming unit 2 as an image forming unit, a sheet conveying unit 3 as a sheet conveying unit, a roll paper storage unit 4, and a sheet cutting device 5. It is arranged inside the apparatus main body 1a.

  In the image forming unit 2, a guide rod 13 and a guide rail 14 are stretched over both side plates (not shown), and a carriage 15 is held on the guide rod 13 and the guide rail 14 so as to be slidable in the direction of arrow A.

  Here, sliding means that the carriage 15 moves on the guide rod 13 and the guide rail 14 in the direction of arrow A while contacting the guide rod 13 and the guide rail 14.

  The carriage 15 is mounted with a liquid ejection head (recording head) that ejects ink droplets of each color of black (K), yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C). Although not shown, each recording head is integrally provided with a sub tank that supplies ink to each recording head.

  The carriage 15 is moved and scanned by the main scanning mechanism 10 in the main scanning direction, that is, in the sheet width direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A in the drawing). The main scanning mechanism 10 includes a drive motor 21 disposed on one side in the sheet width direction, a drive pulley 22 rotated by the drive motor 21, and a driven pulley 23 disposed on the other side in the sheet width direction. ing. The main scanning mechanism 10 includes a belt member 24 that is wound around a driving pulley 22 and a driven pulley 23.

  The driven pulley 23 is tensioned outward by a tension spring (not shown), that is, in a direction away from the drive pulley 22. The belt member 24 pulls the carriage 15 in the sheet width direction by being partly fixed and held by a belt fixing portion provided on the back side of the carriage 15.

  An encoder sheet (not shown) is arranged along the sheet width direction of the carriage 15 in order to detect the main scanning position of the carriage 15. The main scanning position of the carriage 15 is detected by reading an encoder sheet by an encoder sensor (not shown) provided on the carriage 15.

  In the main scanning area of the carriage 15, in the recording area, the roll paper 30 as a sheet is intermittently moved in the direction perpendicular to the sheet width direction by the sheet conveying unit 3, that is, in the sheet conveying direction (direction indicated by arrow B in the drawing). Is conveyed.

  In addition, a main cartridge 18 containing each color ink to be supplied to the sub-tank of the recording head is attached to and detached from the apparatus main body 1a outside the carriage movement area in the sheet width direction or in one end side area of the main scanning area. It is installed freely. Further, a maintenance / recovery mechanism 19 that performs maintenance / recovery of the recording head is disposed in the other end side region of the main scanning region.

  The roll paper storage unit 4 is a paper supply unit, and the roll paper 30 is set as an image recording sheet. In the roll paper storage unit 4, roll papers having different sizes in the sheet width direction can be set.

  The roll paper 30 is accommodated in the roll paper accommodating portion 4 by mounting flanges 31 on both sides of the paper roll and placing the flanges 31 on flange receivers 32. A support roller (not shown) is provided inside the flange receiver 32. When the support roller comes into contact with the outer periphery of the flange 31, the flange 31 rotates and the roll paper 30 is sent out to a sheet conveyance path as a conveyance path.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the sheet conveyance unit 3 includes a pair of paper feed rollers 33, a registration roller 34 and a registration pressure roller 35, and a paper suction conveyance mechanism 36. The paper feed roller pair 33 feeds the roll paper 30 from the roll paper storage unit 4 to the sheet conveyance path.

  The registration roller 34 and the registration pressure roller 35 are provided on the upstream side of the image forming unit 2 in the sheet conveying direction, and convey the fed roll paper 30 to the sheet cutting device 5 through the lower side of the image forming unit 2. ing.

  The sheet suction / conveyance mechanism 36 is disposed below the image forming unit 2 with the sheet conveyance path interposed therebetween, and rolls on a platen plate (not shown) disposed on the upper surface of the sheet suction / conveyance mechanism 36 by performing a suction operation. The paper 30 is sucked. Accordingly, the flatness of the roll paper 30 conveyed below the image forming unit 2 is maintained following the platen plate.

  The roll paper 30 fed out from the roll paper storage unit 4 is positioned below the image forming unit 2 by the sheet conveying unit 3 from the rear (right side in the figure) to the front (left side in the figure) of the apparatus main body 1a. To the predetermined recording area.

  When the roll paper 30 is conveyed to the recording area, the carriage 15 reciprocates in the sheet width direction, and ink droplets are ejected by the recording head according to image information. Furthermore, the ink jet recording apparatus 1 forms an image on each recording line on the roll paper by repeatedly discharging ink droplets by the recording head while intermittently transporting the roll paper 30. Finally, a desired image corresponding to the image information is formed on the roll paper 30.

  The roll paper 30 after the image formation is cut to a predetermined length by the sheet cutting device 5 and discharged to a paper discharge tray (not shown) disposed on the front side of the apparatus main body 1a via a paper discharge roller (not shown). The

  Next, the sheet cutting device 5 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 is a view of the sheet cutting device 5 as seen from the back side of the apparatus main body 1a (see FIG. 1).

  FIG. 4A is a side view showing a partial cross section of the sheet cutting apparatus. In FIG. 4A, the cutter housing 51 indicated by a solid line indicates a position in a state where the cutter unit 40 performs the cutting operation of the roll paper 30 (during forward movement). Further, the cutter housing 51 indicated by a broken line indicates a position in a state where the cutter unit 40 is retracted in the thickness direction of the roll paper 30, that is, in the vertical direction (when moving backward).

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4A and 4B, the sheet cutting device 5 is disposed on the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction of the image forming unit 2 (see FIG. 2), and includes a cutter unit 40 and a guide member 41. And a wire 42. The sheet cutting device 5 is configured to cut the roll paper 30 conveyed along the sheet conveyance path into a predetermined length.

  The cutter unit 40 includes a cutter housing 51 that houses the cutter 50, a moving member 52, and a rotating shaft 53 as a connecting member.

  The cutter 50 is composed of circular blades 50 a and 50 b having blade portions arranged to face each other via the roll paper 30, and is rotatably held and accommodated in the cutter housing 51. The circular blades 50a and 50b rotate by obtaining a driving force according to the movement of the cutter housing 51 in the sheet width direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A in FIG. 3).

  That is, since the cutter 50 cuts the roll paper 30 while the circular blades 50a and 50b rotate, it can cope with cutting of a relatively thick roll paper or the like. Moreover, since the cutter 50 is comprised by the circular cutter, it can prevent the malfunction that only a predetermined location concentrates and wears like a fixed blade.

  The cutter housing 51 is configured to be capable of reciprocating in the sheet width direction by a moving member 52 described later, and is connected to the moving member 52 via a rotating shaft 53 described later. The cutter housing 51 is configured to be rotatable in the sheet thickness direction around the rotation shaft 53 with respect to the moving member 52, that is, to be capable of circular movement in the forward and reverse directions within a predetermined angle range.

  The cutter housing 51 is configured to cut the roll paper 30 by the cutter 50 in the forward path that moves from the other side of the apparatus main body 1a (see FIG. 1) to the one side.

  On the other hand, the cutter housing 51 rotates downward with respect to the moving member 52 in the return path that moves from one side of the apparatus main body 1a (see FIG. 1) to the lower side in the sheet thickness direction from the sheet conveyance path. In the retracted state, it moves to the original position (hereinafter referred to as “home position”).

  That is, the cutter housing 51 is configured to be movable in the sheet width direction in a state where it is retracted in the sheet thickness direction with respect to the sheet conveyance path after the roll paper 30 is cut. For this reason, in the return path, the cutter housing 51 is not separated from the sheet transport path and does not block the sheet transport path. Further, the cutter housing 51 rotates upward with respect to the moving member 52 when returning from the return path to the forward path.

  Further, the position of the cutter housing 51 is detected and controlled by detection means such as microswitches 110 (see FIG. 19) installed at both ends in the sheet width direction.

  Further, the cutter housing 51 is provided with a driven roller 51a on the upstream side (left side in FIG. 3) in the moving direction at the time of cutting the sheet (hereinafter referred to as “cut direction”).

  The driven roller 51a is rotatably provided at a position separated from a driving roller 55, which will be described later, in the sheet width direction. The driven roller 51a moves on an upper guide rail 61 described later on the forward path of the cutter housing 51, and moves on a lower guide rail 62 described later on the return path.

  That is, the driven roller 51 a functions as a member that positions the cutter housing 51 with respect to the upper guide rail 61 and the lower guide rail 62 when the cutter housing 51 moves.

  The positioning member of the cutter housing 51 is not limited to the driven roller 51a, and may be, for example, an arc-shaped protrusion. However, the friction between the positioning member and the both guide rails when the cutter housing 51 is moved. In order to suppress the influence of, it is preferable to form with a roller.

  As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the moving member 52 is provided to be separated from the cutter housing 51 in the sheet conveying direction, and includes a main body 54 and a driving roller 55. . Further, the moving member 52 is movable in the sheet width direction within a moving region that extends in the sheet width direction of the apparatus main body 1a (see FIG. 1).

  As shown in FIG. 3 and FIGS. 4A and 4B, the drive roller 55 is made of a rubber roller and is fixed to the rotary shaft 53 so as to be integrally rotatable. Therefore, the drive roller 55 is rotatably held by the main body 54 via the rotation shaft 53.

  The moving member 52 is connected to a wire 42 that spans a pair of pulleys 58 provided on both sides of the apparatus main body 1a in the sheet width direction. A cutter unit drive motor 59 is connected to a pulley 58 provided on one side of the apparatus main body 1a (see FIG. 1) among the pair of pulleys 58.

  Accordingly, the wire 42 rotates in the sheet width direction via the pulley 58 rotated by the cutter unit drive motor 59. That is, the wire 42 transmits traction force to the moving member 52.

  Thereby, the wire 42 pulls the moving member 52 in the sheet width direction. Therefore, the drive roller 55 is configured to rotate on an upper guide rail 61 described later in accordance with the rotational movement of the wire 42. The detailed configuration of the moving member 52 will be described later.

  Further, the cutter housing 51 is configured to rotate in the vertical direction about the rotation shaft 53 of the drive roller 55 when switching between the forward path and the return path. As a result, the cutter housing 51 switches between a posture of cutting the roll paper 30 in the forward path and a posture retracted from the sheet conveyance path in the backward path.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 4A, the drive roller 55 and the driven roller 51a are arranged so as to be shifted from each other in the sheet conveying direction (the direction indicated by the arrow B in the drawing). Specifically, the driven roller 51a is disposed upstream of the driving roller 55 in the sheet conveying direction.

  Therefore, the driven roller 51a can be moved between the upper guide rail 61 and the lower guide rail 62 in a state where the driving roller 55 is maintained on the upper guide rail 61, and the rotation of the cutter housing 51 described above can be performed. Can be realized. In FIG. 4A, a broken line extending in the direction of arrow B is a sheet conveyance path.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, the cutter housing 51 has an inclined surface portion 51c that is inclined at a predetermined angle in the vertical direction with respect to the sheet conveyance path. The inclination angle of the inclined surface portion 51c is set to an angle that is parallel to the sheet conveyance path when the cutter housing 51 moves along the return path.

  As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the rotating shaft 53 has a function of connecting the cutter housing 51 and the moving member 52. The rotating shaft 53 rotates the cutter housing 51 with respect to the moving member 52 in the sheet thickness direction about the central axis O (see FIG. 19).

  The drive roller 55 described above is fixed to the downstream end of the rotation shaft 53 in the sheet conveying direction so as to be integrally rotatable. Further, the upstream end portion of the rotation shaft 53 in the sheet conveying direction is rotatably held by a bearing portion 51b (see FIG. 11) of a cutter housing 51 described later.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the guide member 41 is a member that guides the movement of the moving member 52 in the sheet width direction. The guide member 41 extends in the sheet width direction, and is provided with an upper guide rail 61 that is set to be longer than at least the sheet conveyance width, and a lower guide that is separated from the upper guide rail 61 in the vertical direction below the sheet conveyance path. Rail 62. The upper guide rail 61 is disposed below the moving member 52.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4A, the guide member 41 includes an upper guide plate 63 above the upper guide rail 61. The upper guide plate 63 is disposed above the moving member 52. The guide member 41 forms the forward path of the cutter housing 51 on the upper guide rail 61 and forms the return path of the cutter housing 51 on the lower guide rail 62.

  Accordingly, the driven roller 51a of the cutter housing 51 moves on the upper guide rail 61 in the forward path when the sheet is cut, and moves on the lower guide rail 62 in the return path after the sheet is cut.

  As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the upper guide rail 61 includes a drive roller guide region 61a for guiding the drive roller 55 in the sheet width direction in parallel with the sheet conveying direction, and the cutter housing 51 on the outward path. And a driven roller guide area 61b for guiding the driven roller 51a to move.

  A first communication path 61c for switching the path of the cutter housing 51 from the forward path to the return path is formed on one side of the driven roller guide area 61b in the sheet width direction. As shown in FIG. 6, the first communication path 61 c is formed in the upper guide rail 61 so as to communicate the forward path on the upper guide rail 61 and the return path on the lower guide rail 62.

  Specifically, the upper guide rail 61 is notched at a predetermined position on one side in the seat width direction, and the notched end is bent so as to be inclined downward at a predetermined angle. A passage 61c is formed.

  Thereby, the driven roller 51a can be moved from the upper guide rail 61 to the lower guide rail 62 after cutting the roll paper. Further, the lower end portion 61d of the upper guide rail 61 adjacent to the first communication path 61c is bent upward in order to avoid contact with the driven roller 51a moving on the return path.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, a moving mechanism 70 is provided on the other side of the driven roller guide region 61b in the sheet width direction. The moving mechanism 70 moves the driven roller 51a from the lower guide rail 62 to the upper guide rail 61 when the cutter housing 51 moves from the home position indicated by the solid line in FIG. That is, the moving mechanism 70 is a mechanism for returning the cutter housing 51 to an area for performing the cutting operation of the roll paper 30 (hereinafter referred to as “roll paper cutting operation area”).

  The moving mechanism 70 includes a second communication path 61e for communicating the return path on the lower guide rail 62 and the forward path on the upper guide rail 61, and a switching claw provided on the upper guide rail 61 adjacent to the second communication path 61e. 71.

  The second communication path 61e is formed by cutting out a predetermined portion on the other side of the upper guide rail 61 (see FIG. 4B).

  The switching claw 71 is provided so as to be rotatable between the return path and the second communication path 61e, that is, capable of circular movement in the forward and reverse directions within a predetermined angle range. The switching claw 71 is constantly pressed against the lower side by the elastic force of a spring member such as a coil spring (not shown) so that the tip portion contacts the lower guide rail 62.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, when the cutter housing 51 moves the return path to the other side in the sheet width direction, the switching claw 71 has a spring member as shown by the broken line in FIG. It is designed to rotate upward against the elastic force.

  When the driven roller 51a further moves to the other side in the sheet width direction from this state, the switching claw 71 is released from the contact with the driven roller 51a, and is indicated by the elastic position of the spring member at the original position, ie, a solid line in the figure. It returns to the position.

  Furthermore, the switching claw 71 is inclined at a predetermined angle at a position indicated by a solid line in FIG. 10, the driven roller 51a can be moved from the lower guide rail 62 to the upper guide rail 61 via the switching claw 71 when the cutter housing 51 returns from the return path to the forward path.

  The lower guide rail 62 guides the driven roller 51a when the cutter housing 51 moves along the return path.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, the upper guide plate 63 is provided on a receiving surface 63c as an opposing surface and both ends of the receiving surface 63c in the sheet conveying direction, and on a pair of side surfaces 52a and 52b of the moving member 52 described later. On the other hand, it is comprised by the 1st guide surface part 63a and the 2nd guide surface part 63b which were opposingly arranged.

  The first guide surface portion 63 a is bent in the vertical direction downward with respect to the upper guide plate 63 and is integrally connected to the upper guide rail 61.

  Similarly to the first guide surface portion 63a, the second guide surface portion 63b is bent vertically downward with respect to the upper guide plate 63, and extends downward by a predetermined length. Here, the predetermined length by which the second guide surface portion 63b extends downward is a length that can secure a region that can be contacted by each guide surface contact portion 54d of the moving member 52 described later.

  The receiving surface 63c is opposed to a pressing member 100 that controls the posture of the cutter housing 51, which will be described later, and generates elastic force that controls the posture of the cutter housing 51 on the pressing member 100 by contacting the pressing member 100. Let

  Next, the operation of the sheet cutting device 5 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, as shown in FIG. 10, before the roll paper 30 is cut, the cutter housing 51 is located at the home position on the other side in the sheet width direction (position indicated by a solid line in FIG. 10).

  Next, when receiving an instruction to cut the sheet, the cutter roller 51 is rotationally driven by the drive roller 55 via the wire 42 (see FIG. 3). The cutter housing 51 moves from the home position to the roll paper cutting operation region (a position indicated by a broken line in FIG. 10), and then moves the forward path to one side in the sheet width direction. At this time, the roll paper 30 is cut by the cutter 50 in accordance with the movement of the cutter housing 51.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6, when the cutter housing 51 moves across the sheet conveyance path to the one in the sheet width direction, the cutting of the roll paper 30 is finished. Then, the cutter housing 51 moved to one side in the sheet width direction is moved downward in the vertical direction with the rotation shaft 53 (see FIG. 4A) of the drive roller 55 as a fulcrum to switch the movement path from the forward path to the return path. It rotates by its own weight.

  Specifically, the driven roller 51a that has moved on the upper guide rail 61 reaches the first communication path 61c, and the driven roller 51a moves from the upper guide rail 61 to the lower guide rail 62 via the first communication path 61c. To do.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 7, only the driven roller 51 a moves to the lower guide rail 62 due to the weight of the cutter housing 51 while the drive roller 55 is maintained on the upper guide rail 61.

  As a result, the cutter housing 51 that overlaps with the sheet conveyance path indicated by the broken line in the drawing rotates and moves in the return path, that is, retracts from the sheet conveyance path (the position indicated by the broken line in FIG. 6). Become.

  Thereafter, based on position detection by the micro switch 110 (see FIG. 19) provided on one side in the sheet width direction, the drive of the wire 42 (see FIG. 3) is reversed, and the rotational drive of the drive roller 55 is reverse to that in the forward path. It is set as a rotational drive.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 8, the cutter housing 51 moves toward the other side in the sheet width direction in a posture retracted from the sheet conveyance path. At this time, the inclined surface 51c is parallel to the sheet conveyance path, and unlike the forward path, the cutter housing 51 is retracted downward from the sheet conveyance path.

  Therefore, even when the cutter housing 51 is moving on the return path, the roll paper 30 can be conveyed via the sheet conveyance path, so that the next image formation can be started and productivity can be improved. it can. Further, contact between the cutter 50 and the cut roll paper 30 can be avoided, and problems such as cut jam can be prevented.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 9, when the cutter housing 51 moves to the other side in the sheet width direction and reaches the vicinity of the moving mechanism 70, the driven roller 51 a contacts the switching claw 71. Then, the driven roller 51a pushes up the switching claw 71 in accordance with the movement of the cutter housing 51 as shown by the broken line in the drawing, and from the return path side (the right side of the switching claw 71 in FIG. 9) to the other side in the sheet width direction, It moves to the second communication path 61e side (the left side of the switching claw 71 in FIG. 9).

  When the driven roller 51a moves to the second communication path 61e side, the switching claw 71 is released from contact with the driven roller 51a and is returned to the original position, that is, the position indicated by the solid line in the drawing by the spring member. As a result, the cutter unit 40 ends a series of reciprocating operations of the cutter housing 51 in the sheet width direction. When there is a subsequent roll paper 30, the above-described series of reciprocating operations are repeatedly executed.

  Next, details of the cutter housing 51 and the moving member 52 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIGS. 11A, 11B, and 12, the cutter housing 51 has a bearing portion 51b that rotatably supports the rotating shaft 53. The bearing portion 51b is located downstream of the cutting position (the direction indicating the forward path in FIG. 11A), which is the moving direction of the cutter housing 51, with respect to the storage position C of the cutter 50 (see FIG. 13). It is provided below the position C. The cutter housing 51 is rotatably connected to the rotary shaft 53 via a bearing portion 51b.

  The cutter housing 51 has a transmission member 80 capable of transmitting a rotational driving force to the cutter 50 (see FIG. 13). The transmission member 80 includes a pulley 81, an endless belt 82, and a pulley 83. Here, endless means that both ends of the belt are joined and there is no joint.

  The pulley 81 is attached to the rotating shaft 53 so as to be integrally rotatable. The pulley 83 is rotatably attached to the shaft 51 e of the cutter housing 51. Here, on the upstream side of the pulley 83 in the sheet conveying direction, a gear portion 83 a that meshes with a gear (not shown) provided inside the cutter housing 51 is formed.

  The gear portion 83a can transmit a rotational driving force to the cutter 50 (see FIG. 13) by meshing with a gear (not shown). Further, the endless belt 82 is wound around the pulley 81 and the pulley 83.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 13, the drive roller 55 rotates according to the movement of the moving member 52 in the sheet width direction, and the rotational driving force is transmitted via the rotary shaft 53, the pulley 81, the endless belt 82, and the pulley 83. It is transmitted to the cutter 50. Thereby, the circular blades 50a and 50b rotate.

  The cutter housing 51 is provided with a pressing member 100 and a coil spring 101 on a driven shaft 51d to which a driven roller 51a is attached. In the sheet cutting device 5 according to the present embodiment, the pressing member 100 and the coil spring 101 constitute a pressing member. Details of the first elastic member and the coil spring 101 will be described later.

  As shown in FIGS. 11A, 11B, and 14, the moving member 52 includes an auxiliary roller 56, a pressing roller 57, and a pressing spring 57a in addition to the main body 54 and the driving roller 55 described above. It consists of

  The main body 54 rotatably holds the drive roller 55 by rotatably supporting the rotating shaft 53. The rotating shaft 53 is rotatably attached to the bearing portion 51 b of the cutter housing 51. The main body 54 is disposed between the upper guide rail 61 and the upper guide plate 63 so as to be movable in the sheet width direction (see FIG. 4).

  As shown in FIGS. 14 and 19, the upstream end and the downstream end (both ends in the sheet width direction) of the main body 54 share one side surface with the main body 54, and the upstream side in the cutting direction. And the protrusion part 54a which protruded in each of the downstream is formed. Each protrusion 54a is provided with a hook 54b to which the wire 42 is hooked.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 19, the side surface of the protruding portion 54a opposite to the side where the latching portion 54b is provided is inclined at a predetermined inclination angle so as to contact the lever portion 110a of the microswitch 110. An inclined surface 54c for microswitch is formed.

  The micro switch 110 is attached to the first guide surface portion 63a (see FIG. 7) so that the lever portion 110a contacts the micro switch inclined surface 54c, and detects the presence or absence of the moving member 52.

  In addition, the main body 54 is provided with protruding guide surface contact portions 54d protruding outward from the main body at four locations on the side surfaces 52a and 52b facing the first guide surface portion 63a and the second guide surface portion 63b. .

  Each guide surface contact portion 54d comes into contact with the first guide surface portion 63a and the second guide surface portion 63b. The guide surface contact portion 54d contacts the first guide surface portion 63a and the second guide surface portion 63b to prevent the moving member 52 from tilting or swinging in the sheet conveying direction when moving in the sheet width direction. can do.

  The drive roller 55 is disposed on the upstream side of the main body 54 in the cutting direction, that is, on the side close to the auxiliary roller 56, and contacts the upper surface of the upper guide rail 61 to rotate.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the auxiliary roller 56 is rotatably attached to a pair of snap fit portions 54 f provided on the upper upstream side in the cutting direction of the main body 54 so as to face the sheet conveying direction.

  The pressing roller 57 has a roller shaft 57b, and is rotatably attached to a bearing portion 54g provided at the upper portion on the downstream side in the cutting direction of the main body 54 via the roller shaft 57b. The roller shaft 57b is held so as to be movable in the vertical direction in the bearing portion 54g, and is moved upward by a predetermined amount or more by stopper portions 54h formed on both side surfaces 52a, 52b of the main body 54 in the sheet conveying direction. Movement is regulated.

  The stopper portion 54h has a claw shape with an upper end portion protruding to the inside of the main body. Further, notches are formed on both sides of the stopper portion 54h. Further, an elastic member 91 to be described later is attached to the stopper portion 54h.

  The pressing spring 57a is constituted by a so-called double torsion type coil spring. One end is fixed to the main body 54, and the other end (free end) comes into contact with the roller shaft 57b of the pressing roller 57 from below. ing.

  Accordingly, the pressing spring 57 a presses the pressing roller 57 against the lower surface of the upper guide plate 63 by pressing the roller shaft 57 b upward by elastic force.

  Further, the auxiliary roller 56 and the pressing roller 57 come into contact with the lower surface of the upper guide plate 63 and rotate. Here, the auxiliary roller 56 and the pressing roller 57 are provided apart from each other in the sheet width direction (left and right direction in the drawing) with the drive roller 55 interposed therebetween.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 19, the guide member 41 has flange portions 41 a at both ends of the moving region of the moving member 52 in the sheet width direction (left and right direction in the drawing). The flange portion 41a is formed so as to be bent from the side surface (see FIG. 4) on the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction of the guide member 41 toward the upstream side in the sheet conveying direction.

  The flange portion 41 a is provided with a rubber buffer portion 41 b that can come into contact with the tip of the protruding portion 54 a of the main body 54. Thereby, the impact when the moving member 52 reaches both ends in the sheet width direction can be absorbed.

  In FIG. 19, only the downstream side in the cutting direction of the moving region of the moving member 52 is illustrated, but the same configuration is also provided on the upstream side in the cutting direction. In other words, the buffer 41b is provided at the upstream end in the cut direction as well as the downstream end in the cut direction, and the microswitch 110 is disposed.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 15 to FIG. 18 and FIG. 20B, a configuration in which the pressing member 100 and the coil spring 101 suppress variation in the posture of the cutter housing 51 when the sheet is cut will be described.

  As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the pressing member 100 includes a contact portion 100 a that contacts the receiving surface 63 c of the upper guide plate 63 and a cylindrical portion 100 b to which the coil spring 101 is attached. Further, the pressing member 100 has an arcuate surface facing the driven roller 51a in order to prevent the pressing member 100 from coming into contact with the driven roller 51a.

  The contact portion 100a is formed in a protruding shape so that the contact area with the receiving surface 63c of the upper guide plate 63 is reduced. Thereby, the pressing member 100 can reduce the frictional force which generate | occur | produces between the contact part 100a and the receiving surface 63c.

  The pressing member 100 is formed such that the contact portion 100a is offset in the axial direction of the driven shaft 51d with respect to the cylindrical portion 100b. Accordingly, the pressing member 100 can avoid contact with the driven roller 51a and can reliably contact the receiving surface 63c of the upper guide plate 63 in the sheet cutting operation region.

  The cylindrical portion 100b is formed such that the inner peripheral surface is attached to the driven shaft 51d and the coil spring 101 is attached to the outer peripheral surface.

  The coil spring 101 includes a first arm portion 101 a that contacts the pressing member 100 and applies an elastic force to the pressing member 100, and a second arm portion 101 b that is hooked and fixed to the cutter housing 51. The coil spring 101 includes an inner peripheral portion 101 c that is attached to the cylindrical portion 100 b of the pressing member 100.

  The first arm portion 101a is attached to the inside of the pressing member 100. When the contact portion 100a of the pressing member 100 contacts the receiving surface 63c of the upper guide plate 63 and is pressed downward in the vertical direction, the pressing member 100 is pressed. An elastic force directed upward in the vertical direction is generated.

  The second arm portion 101b is hooked on the cutter housing 51 to fix the coil spring 101 so as not to rotate following the load when a load is applied to the first arm portion 101a.

  The inner peripheral portion 101 c is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 100 b of the pressing member 100. Thereby, the coil spring 101 has a configuration that allows easy positioning when attached to the pressing member 100.

  Next, the operation of the pressing member 100 and the coil spring 101 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 17A, when the cutter unit 40 is not present in the roll paper cutting operation region, the pressing member 100 is provided on the driven shaft 51d without changing the posture at the time of attachment by the elastic force of the coil spring 101. It has been.

  For this reason, the pressing member 100 maintains the posture without generating an elastic force that presses the cutter housing 51 downward in the vertical direction. Further, the pressing member 100 does not become a load when the moving member 52 moves because the contact portion 100 a is not in contact with the receiving surface 63 c of the upper guide plate 63.

  As shown in FIG. 17B, when the cutter unit 40 moves to the roll paper cutting operation region, the pressing member 100 has the contact portion 100 a in contact with the receiving surface 63 c of the upper guide plate 63. Thereby, the pressing member 100 is pressed downward in the vertical direction.

  When the pressing member 100 is pressed downward in the vertical direction, the first arm portion 101a of the coil spring 101 receives a force directed downward in the vertical direction. As a result, the first arm portion 101a generates an elastic force directed upward in the vertical direction with respect to the pressing member 100, and maintains the posture of the pressing member 100.

  The pressing member 100 receives a downward force in the vertical direction by contact with the receiving surface 63c, and continues to maintain its posture by receiving an elastic force in the vertical direction by the first arm portion 101a. For this reason, the pressing member 100 presses the driven shaft 51d downward in the vertical direction via the cylindrical portion 100b.

  When the driven shaft 51d is pressed downward in the vertical direction, the cutter housing 51 presses the rotating shaft 53 downward in the vertical direction of the bearing portion 51b. That is, the rotating shaft 53 comes into contact with the bearing portion 51b in the vertical direction, and the clearance formed between the rotating shaft 53 and the bearing portion 51b is a position below the bearing portion 51b in the vertical direction. It will not be.

  As a result, the cutter housing 51 does not tilt toward the upstream side and the downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction, and the variation in the posture of the cutter housing 51 during the roll paper cutting operation is suppressed.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 18, the pressing member 100 moves the cutter housing 51 when the cutter housing 51 rotates downward in the vertical direction with the rotation shaft 53 as a fulcrum in order to switch the movement path from the forward path to the return path. An elastic force is applied in the direction of rotating.

  As a result, when the movement path is switched from the forward path to the return path, the cutter housing 51 receives the elastic force of the pressing member 100 in addition to its own weight, so that the movement path can be easily switched.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 20B, when the cutter unit 40 travels on the return path and returns to the home position, the pressing member 100 is not attached to the guide member 41 and is attached by the elastic force of the coil spring 101. The state is maintained. In other words, the cutter housing 51 can return to the home position without receiving a traveling load due to the pressing member 100 during traveling in the backward direction.

  Next, with reference to FIGS. 19-22, the structure which suppresses the fluctuation | variation of the attitude | position of the cutter housing 51 at the time of sheet | seat cutting | disconnection by the receiving part 90 and the elastic member 91 is demonstrated. In sheet cutting device 5 concerning this embodiment, receiving part 90 and elastic member 91 constitute a control member.

  As shown in FIG. 19, a receiving portion 90 is provided at the end of the cutter housing 51 in the cutting direction. Specifically, the receiving portion 90 is provided on the downstream side in the cutting direction of the cutter housing 51 when the sheet is cut with respect to the rotating shaft 53.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 20A, the receiving part 90 has a receiving surface 90 a on the side facing the moving member 52. The receiving surface 90a is an inclined surface that is inclined in a separating direction (a direction indicated by an arrow D in the drawing) that gradually moves away from the moving member 52 as it goes downward in the drawing. An elastic member 91 described later comes into contact with the receiving surface 90a.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 19, the moving member 52 is provided with an elastic member 91. Specifically, the elastic member 91 is provided on the downstream side in the cutting direction with respect to the rotating shaft 53. The elastic member 91 is configured by a metal leaf spring that is folded back at an intermediate portion.

  The elastic member 91 is configured to come into contact with the above-described receiving surface 90a when the cutter housing 51 is in the posture at the time of cutting the sheet (the state shown in FIG. 20A). Further, the elastic member 91 also has the above-described receiving surface when the cutter housing 51 is retracted from the sheet conveyance path (the state shown in FIG. 20B) as in the case of the sheet cutting posture. It is comprised so that 90a may be contacted.

Therefore, the elastic member 91 applies an elastic force to the receiving portion 90 in the separating direction (the direction indicated by the arrow D in the figure).
Here, in the sheet cutting device 5 according to the present embodiment, the state of the receiving portion 90 and the elastic member 91 when the cutter housing 51 is in the posture for cutting the sheet is referred to as a fluctuation suppression state.

  In the sheet cutting device 5 according to the present embodiment, the state of the receiving portion 90 and the elastic member 91 when the cutter housing 51 is retracted from the sheet conveying path is referred to as a released state.

  In the fluctuation suppression state, as will be described later, fluctuations in the posture of the cutter housing 51 during sheet cutting are suppressed. On the other hand, in the released state, the suppression of the variation in the posture of the cutter housing 51 is released as will be described later. Further, the fluctuation suppression state and the release state are switched when the elastic force of the elastic member 91 with respect to the receiving surface 90a changes according to the rotation of the cutter housing 51.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, since the receiving surface 90a is inclined so that the distance between the receiving surface 90a and the elastic member 91 is different between the fluctuation suppressed state and the released state, it acts on the receiving surface 90a when the variation is suppressed. The elastic force of the elastic member 91 is maximized.

  In other words, the elastic member 91 is configured to apply the maximum elastic force to the receiving portion 90 in the separating direction (the direction indicated by the arrow D in the figure) when the elastic member 91 is in the fluctuation suppression state. As a result, the elastic member 91 can cause the cutter housing 51 to act on the cutter housing 51 with a maximum elastic force, that is, an elastic force for suppressing a change in the posture of the cutter housing 51 when the fluctuation member is in a state where the fluctuation is suppressed.

  As shown in FIG. 21 (a), the elastic member 91 has a second contact portion that swells in a spherical shape in the separation direction indicated by the arrow D (hereinafter simply referred to as the separation direction D) at the distal end portion on the free end side. 91a.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 20A, when the elastic member 91 contacts the receiving surface 90a, the second contact portion 91a makes point contact with the receiving surface 90a. At this time, the contact position between the receiving surface 90 a and the second contact portion 91 a is below the center axis O of the rotation shaft 53.

  The elastic member 91 has a bent portion 91b that is bent in a concave shape in the direction opposite to the separating direction D on the base end side. The bent portion 91b is attached to the stopper portion 54h of the moving member 52 as shown in FIG.

  Specifically, the bent portion 91b comes into contact with the stopper portion 54h from the inside of the main body 54 of the moving member 52, and the upper end of the bent portion 91b hits the claw shape of the stopper portion 54h from below.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 22B, the distal end portion of the base end side of the elastic member 91 comes into contact with the guide surface contact portion 54d from the outside of the main body 54 from below. Thereby, the elastic member 91 is attached to the moving member 52 via the bending part 91b.

  At this time, the bent portion 91b is interposed between the roller shaft 57b and the stopper portion 54h over the entire movable range of the roller shaft 57b. Therefore, the vertical movement of the roller shaft 57b is not hindered by the bent portion 91b.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 21B, the elastic member 91 has an angled shape so that the free end side is located below the base end side in the drawing. This is to allow the second contact portion 91a to push the lower side of the receiving surface 90a.

  Next, the operation of the receiving portion 90 and the elastic member 91 will be described with reference to FIGS. 19, 20A, and 20B.

  FIGS. 19 and 20A show the state of the cutter unit 40 during the forward movement, that is, when the sheet is cut, and shows a state in which the receiving portion 90 and the elastic member 91 are in a fluctuation suppressing state. FIG. 20B shows the state of the cutter unit 40 during the backward movement, and shows a state where the receiving portion 90 and the elastic member 91 are in the released state. In FIG. 20A, CP indicates a contact position between the cutter 50 (see FIG. 13) and the roll paper 30 (see FIG. 2), that is, a sheet cutting position.

  As shown in FIG. 20A, when the sheet is cut, the second contact portion 91a of the elastic member 91 is in contact with the receiving surface 90a. At this time, the elastic member 91 presses the receiving surface 90a in the separating direction D with the maximum elastic force.

  Further, the contact position between the receiving surface 90 a and the second contact portion 91 a at this time is lower than the central axis O of the rotation shaft 53. As shown in FIG. 19, the elastic member 91 is provided on the downstream side in the cutting direction with respect to the rotation shaft 53.

  For this reason, when the sheet is cut, a moment acts on the receiving surface 90 a in the direction opposite to the separating direction D with respect to the cutter housing 51. Specifically, the moment acts so that the sheet cutting position CP is pressed in the direction opposite to the separation direction D with the bearing portion 51b of the cutter housing 51 as a fulcrum.

  Accordingly, the posture of the cutter housing 51 is suppressed from changing in the separation direction D with respect to the moving member 52, and the posture of the cutter housing 51 is suppressed from being inclined in the separation direction D. Therefore, in the present embodiment, fluctuations in the posture of the cutter housing 51 are suppressed during sheet cutting.

  Note that the change in the attitude of the cutter housing 51 includes the inclination of the cutter housing 51 in the separating direction D in addition to the change in the attitude of the cutter housing 51 in the separating direction D with respect to the moving member 52 as described above. .

  Next, after the sheet is cut, the cutter unit 40 is moved to the state shown in FIG. At this time, the distance between the receiving surface 90 and the elastic member 91 increases with the rotation of the cutter housing 51 because the receiving surface 90a is formed of an inclined surface inclined in the separating direction D.

  For this reason, the elastic force of the elastic member 91 acting on the receiving surface 90 a gradually decreases as the cutter housing 51 rotates. Finally, the amount of displacement of the elastic member 91 is reduced to a state where the elastic force hardly acts even when the receiving surface 90a and the second contact portion 91a are in contact with each other.

  As described above, the cutter unit 40 does not affect the cutting of the roll paper 30 even if the posture of the cutter housing 51 changes during the backward movement without cutting the roll paper 30 (see FIG. 2). It is not necessary for the elastic force 91 to act.

Further, since the receiving surface 90a is inclined so that the elastic force of the elastic member 91 is gradually increased or decreased when the cutter housing 51 is rotated, the cutter unit 40 is rotated when the cutter housing 51 is rotated. Resistance can be reduced.
On the other hand, when the forward movement is performed, that is, when the sheet is cut, the elastic force of the elastic member 91 is applied to suppress the change in the posture of the cutter housing 51.

  As described above, the sheet cutting device 5 according to the present embodiment is the sheet cutting device 5 that cuts the roll paper 30 conveyed through the sheet conveyance path into a predetermined length. In addition, the sheet cutting device 5 accommodates a cutter 50 that cuts the roll paper 30, executes a cutting operation of the roll paper 30 above the thickness direction of the roll paper 30, and after the roll paper 30 is cut, a sheet conveyance path On the other hand, the cutter housing 51 is configured to be movable in the width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction in a state where the roll paper 30 is retracted downward in the thickness direction.

  Further, the sheet cutting device 5 is provided with a moving member 52 that is separated from the cutter housing 51 in the conveying direction of the roll paper 30 and is movable along the guide member 41 provided in the width direction. It is configured.

  The sheet cutting device 5 connects the cutter housing 51 and the moving member 52, and has a rotating shaft 53 having a central axis O that rotates the cutter housing 51 in the thickness direction of the roll paper 30 with respect to the moving member 52. It is configured to provide.

  Further, the sheet cutting device 5 includes a pressing member 100 and a coil spring 101 that press the cutter housing 51 in the thickness direction of the roll paper 30 by contacting the guide member 41 during the cutting operation of the roll paper 30. Has been.

  For this reason, when the sheet cutting device 5 cuts the roll paper 30, the pressing member 100 presses the rotary shaft 53 against the bearing portion 51b, so that fluctuations in the posture of the cutter housing 51 due to the cutting load can be suppressed. 40 running can be stabilized.

  Further, the sheet cutting device 5 according to the present embodiment is configured such that the pressing member 100 has a contact portion 100a that contacts the receiving surface 63c of the guide member 41 that faces the pressing member 100 during the cutting operation of the roll paper 30. Has been.

  For this reason, the sheet cutting device 5 can efficiently transmit the elastic force of the pressing member 100 to the cutter housing 51.

  Further, the sheet cutting device 5 according to the present embodiment is configured so that the pressing member 100 does not come into contact with the guide member 41 when the cutter housing 51 is in a state of being retracted downward in the thickness direction of the roll paper 30. Yes.

  For this reason, the sheet cutting device 5 can reduce the traveling load of the cutter unit 40 because the elastic force from the pressing member 100 does not act on the cutter housing 51 when the cutter unit 40 moves in the return path.

  Further, in the sheet cutting device 5 according to the present embodiment, when the pressing member 100 starts the retraction operation in which the cutter housing 51 retreats in the thickness direction of the roll paper 30 from the sheet cutting position where the cutter housing 51 performs the cutting operation of the roll paper 30. The cutter housing 51 is configured to apply an elastic force in a direction in which the cutter housing 51 is rotated in the thickness direction of the roll paper 30.

  For this reason, since the pressing member 100 presses the rotating shaft 53 against the bearing portion 51b from the start to the end of the cutting of the roll paper 30, the sheet cutting device 5 can suppress the change in the posture of the cutter housing 51 due to the cutting load. The traveling of the cutter unit 40 can be stabilized.

  In addition, the sheet cutting device 5 according to the present embodiment has a variation suppression state that suppresses a variation in the posture of the cutter housing 51 during the cutting operation of the roll paper 30 and a thickness direction of the roll paper 30 below the sheet conveyance path. It is configured to include a receiving portion 90 and an elastic member 91 that switch a release state in which the suppression of the variation in the posture of the cutter housing 51 when the retracted state is in accordance with the rotation of the cutter housing 51.

  For this reason, when the sheet cutting device 5 is in the fluctuation suppression state, the elastic member 91 causes the elastic force to act on the cutter housing 51, so that the fluctuation of the posture of the cutter housing 51 due to the cut load can be suppressed. Driving can be stabilized.

  In this embodiment, the cutter 50 is composed of two circular blades 50a and 50b. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the cutter 50 may be composed of one or three or more circular blades. Good. However, when a single circular blade is formed, it is preferable to separately provide a linear fixed blade that extends in the moving direction of the cutter 50.

  In the present embodiment, the cutter housing 51 is arranged within the width of the carriage 15 in the sheet conveyance direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the cutter housing 51 is upstream of the carriage 15 in the sheet conveyance direction. The structure arrange | positioned in the position spaced apart to the side or the downstream may be sufficient.

  When the ink jet recording apparatus 1 is arranged on the upstream side in the sheet conveying direction, if the image is cut after the image formation by the carriage 15 is finished, an image cannot be formed near the rear end of the cut sheet. Therefore, in this case, the ink jet recording apparatus 1 may be configured to perform image formation by moving the carriage 15 after cutting the roll paper 30.

  Moreover, in this Embodiment, although the upper guide rail 61 and the lower guide rail 62 were comprised by the same member, you may comprise not only this but by a separate member, respectively.

  In the present embodiment, the drive roller guide region 61a and the driven roller guide region 61b are configured by the same rail of the upper guide rail 61, but are not limited thereto, and may be configured by different rails.

  In the present embodiment, the upper guide plate 63 and the upper guide rail 61 are integrally configured via the first guide surface portion 63a. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the upper guide plate 63 and the upper guide rail 61 You may comprise by another member.

  In the present embodiment, the latching portion 54b is provided on the protruding portion 54a. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the latching portion 54b may be provided directly on the main body 54, for example. Further, the wire 42 may be directly attached to the main body 54.

  In the present embodiment, the guide surface contact portion 54d has a protruding shape.

  In the present embodiment, the moving member 52 uses the wire 42 as a member to be pulled. However, the moving member 52 is not limited to this, and for example, an end timing belt may be used. In this case, the end portion of the timing belt is fixed in a state of being prevented from coming off by the protruding portion 54a. By using the timing belt, the cutter unit 40 can suppress slipping during towing as compared with the wire 42.

  In the present embodiment, the auxiliary roller 56 is composed of two rollers. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the auxiliary roller 56 may be composed of a single roller that is wide in the sheet conveying direction.

  Moreover, in this Embodiment, the switching claw 71 may be comprised with the leaf | plate spring. When the switching claw 71 is configured by a leaf spring, a spring member is not necessary.

  In the present embodiment, the auxiliary roller 56 is arranged on the upstream side in the cutting direction and the pressing roller 57 is arranged on the downstream side in the cutting direction, but these arrangements may be reversed.

  In the present embodiment, the flange portion 41a is formed by bending the upper guide rail 61 downward. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the flange portion 41a is formed so as to be bent upward from the upper guide rail 61. May be.

  In the present embodiment, the second contact portion 91a has a spherical shape. However, the shape is not limited to this, and may be any shape as long as it makes point contact.

  In the present embodiment, the elastic member 91 is configured such that the amount of variation is small until the elastic force hardly acts even if the receiving surface 90a and the second contact portion 91a are finally in contact with each other. Not limited to this, the receiving surface 90a and the second contact portion 91a may be finally brought into a non-contact state so that the elastic force is not applied.

  In the present embodiment, the cutter housing 51 is configured to be retracted downward in the vertical direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, when the sheet cutting device 5 is not installed horizontally with respect to the device main body 1a, A configuration may be adopted in which the roll paper 30 is retracted in the thickness direction according to the inclination of the sheet cutting device 5. Further, the sheet cutting device 5 may be configured to retract the cutter housing 51 upward in the vertical direction.

  In this case, in the sheet cutting device 5, the guide member 41 is disposed above the sheet conveyance path, the forward path of the cutter housing 51 is provided on the lower guide rail 62, and the return path is provided on the upper guide rail 61.

  Therefore, after the cutter housing 51 moves on the forward path during the sheet cutting operation, the driven roller 51a moves onto the upper guide rail 61 via a moving mechanism (not shown) corresponding to the moving mechanism 70 in the present embodiment.

  As a result, the cutter housing 51 is retracted from the sheet conveyance path and can move on the return path. The cutter housing 51 that has moved on the return path can be cut by moving the driven roller 51a onto the lower guide rail 62 through a communication path (not shown) corresponding to the first communication path 61c in the present embodiment. It becomes. Even in the above configuration, the same effect as in the present embodiment can be obtained.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the contact portion 100a is formed in a protruding shape, but is not limited thereto, and is configured by, for example, a rotating body that rotates around an axis parallel to the conveyance direction of the roll paper 30. Also good.

  In this case, since the location where the contact portion 100a contacts the receiving surface 63c of the upper guide plate 63 always varies, the contact portion 100a can be prevented from being worn.

1 Inkjet recording device (image forming device)
2 Image forming unit (image forming means)
3 Sheet transport section (sheet transport means)
5 Sheet cutting device 30 Roll paper (sheet)
40 Cutter unit 41 Guide member 50 Cutter 50a, 50b Circular cutter (blade part)
51 Cutter housing 52 Moving member 53 Rotating shaft (connecting member)
63 Upper guide plate 63c Receiving surface (opposite surface)
90 Receiving part (suppressing member)
91 Elastic member (suppressing member)
100 pressing member 100a contact portion 101 coil spring (pressing member)
O Center axis

JP 2009-214200 A

Claims (7)

A sheet cutting device that cuts a sheet conveyed along a conveyance path into a predetermined length,
A cutter comprising a blade portion for cutting the sheet is accommodated, and the sheet is cut in the upper direction of the thickness of the sheet. After the sheet is cut, the sheet is cut in the thickness direction with respect to the conveyance path. A cutter housing configured to be movable in a width direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction in a state of being retracted downward;
A movable member provided apart from the cutter housing in the conveying direction of the sheet, and movable along a guide member provided across the width direction;
A connecting member having a central axis for connecting the cutter housing and the moving member and rotating the cutter housing in the thickness direction of the seat with respect to the moving member;
A sheet cutting apparatus comprising: a pressing member that presses the cutter housing in a thickness direction of the sheet by contacting the guide member during the cutting operation of the sheet.   The sheet cutting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressing member has a contact portion that contacts a facing surface of the guide member that faces the pressing member during a cutting operation of the sheet.   The sheet cutting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the contact portion is configured by a rotating body that rotates about an axis parallel to a conveyance direction of the sheet.   4. The pressing member according to claim 1, wherein the pressing member does not contact the guide member when the cutter housing is in a state of being retracted downward in the thickness direction of the sheet. 5. Sheet cutting device.   The pressing member rotates the cutter housing in the thickness direction of the sheet at the start of a retraction operation in which the cutter housing is retracted downward from the sheet cutting position where the cutting operation of the sheet is performed. The sheet cutting device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein an elastic force is applied in a direction.   Suppression of fluctuations in the attitude of the cutter housing when the sheet is in a fluctuation suppression state that suppresses fluctuations in the attitude of the cutter housing during the cutting operation of the sheet and in a state of being retracted downward in the thickness direction of the sheet with respect to the conveyance path The sheet cutting device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a suppressing member that switches a release state for releasing the state according to the rotation of the cutter housing. An image forming apparatus comprising the sheet cutting device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
Image forming means for forming an image on a sheet;
An image forming apparatus comprising: a sheet conveying unit configured to convey the sheet on which the image is formed to the sheet cutting device.

Images