JP2016087747A - Movement route determination device for cutter, cutting system, and movement route determination method for cutter - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To determine a proper movement route for a cutter of a cutting head of a cutting device comprising the cutting head capable of moving in a first direction and a media moving device moving media in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction.SOLUTION: A movement route determination device 20 for a cutter comprises: an input part 21 to which data including position information on a plurality of points to be cut with the cutter is input; a correction part 23 which corrects a movement distance between two points such that when the movement distance is computed, a distance in the second direction is considered to be longer than a distance in the first direction although they are the same distance; and an arithmetic part 22 which applies genetic algorithm to compute a movement route which passes all of the plurality of points and has the shortest total movement distance while the movement distance is corrected by the correction part 23 once the data is input to the input part 21.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a cutter movement path determination device, a cutting system, and a cutter movement path determination method.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a cutting apparatus having a cutting head that has a cutter for cutting media and is movable in a first direction, and a media moving device that moves media in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. It is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In such a cutting apparatus, the cutter can be moved freely on the medium by appropriately moving the cutter in the first direction while the cutter is pierced on the medium, and by moving the medium appropriately in the second direction. Can do. Thereby, the media can be cut into an arbitrary shape.

  Cutting data that indicates which part of the media is to be cut is input to the cutting device. The cutting device controls the movement of the cutting head and the movement of the medium based on the cutting data, and cuts the medium into a desired shape. A portion of the media cut by the cutter (hereinafter referred to as a cut object) is defined by the outline of the cut object. The cut object is cut off by moving on the outline while the cutter is stuck in the medium.

  A cutting device may be used to cut a plurality of cut objects from a single medium. In this case, the cutter moves on the outlines of the plurality of cut objects. A starting point, which is a point at which cutting is started, is set on the outline of each cut object. For example, as shown in FIG. 15, a start point P101 is set for the first cut object A101, a start point P102 is set for the second cut object A102, and a start point P103 is set for the third cut object A103. Reference numerals X and Y represent a first direction and a second direction, respectively. Reference numeral 111 represents a cutting head movable in the first direction, and reference numeral 112 represents a medium movable in the second direction.

  Conventionally, when cutting a plurality of cut objects A101 to A103 from a single medium 112, for example, the cutter of the cutting head 111 is moved in an order determined in advance by the user. For example, first, the cutter is moved onto the starting point P101 of the first cut object A101, and then the cutter is pierced into the medium 112, and the cutter is moved along the contour line of the first cut object A101. After cutting out the first cut object A101, the cutter is once raised and moved onto the starting point P102 of the second cut object A102. Then, the cutter is again stabbed into the medium 112 and moved along the contour line of the second cut object A102. After cutting the second cut object A102, the cutter is raised again and moved onto the starting point P103 of the third cut object A103. Then, the third cut object A103 is cut out by piercing the medium 112 again and moving the cutter along the contour line of the third cut object A103.

JP 2011-218457 A

  However, in the above method, the total moving distance of the cutter may be long, and the time required to cut all the cut products A101 to A103 becomes long, or the power consumption necessary to cut all the cut products A101 to A103 is large. There were cases where it increased. In addition, a cutting device including a cutting head movable in the first direction and a media moving device that moves the media in the second direction is configured such that the laser irradiation device is movable in the first direction and the second direction. It has unique properties that are different from the laser processing apparatus and the like. In order to cut the media smoothly, it is preferable to determine the moving path of the cutter in consideration of the characteristics of the cutting device.

  In addition, when cutting the outline of a cut object, it is not always necessary to move the cutter so that it moves from the starting point and returns to the starting point. As a result, the cutter can be moved so as to move on the entire contour line. The moving route on the way is not particularly limited. In consideration of the characteristics of the cutting device, it is preferable to determine the moving path of the cutter so that the media can be cut more favorably.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a point, and an object of the present invention is to provide a cutting head that can move in a first direction, and a media moving device that moves media in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. In a cutting apparatus comprising: a device and a method for determining a suitable movement path of a cutter of a cutting head.

  A cutter moving path determination device according to the present invention includes a cutting head that is movable in a first direction, a media moving device that moves a medium in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and the cutting head. A cutter comprising: a cutter that is provided and is movable in a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction; and a movement path determination device that determines a movement path of the cutter relative to the medium It is. This moving path determination device can calculate the moving distance between two points and an input unit to which data including position information of a plurality of points to be cut by the cutter is the same distance. A correction unit that corrects the movement distance so that the distance in the second direction is considered to be longer than the distance in the first direction; and the correction unit when the data is input to the input unit. An arithmetic unit that applies a genetic algorithm to calculate a movement route that passes through all of the plurality of points and has the shortest total movement distance.

  According to the above-described movement route determination apparatus, the calculation unit causes the movement route that has the shortest total movement distance (the movement route that has the shortest total movement distance here is the shortest actual total movement distance. This is not a travel route, but a travel route with the shortest total travel distance after correction by the correction unit). Therefore, by moving the cutter along the travel route, the cutting time can be shortened. In addition, power consumption can be reduced. Further, the correction unit performs correction so that the distance in the second direction is considered to be longer than the distance in the first direction even if the distance is the same. However, the moving path can be determined in consideration of the characteristics of the cutting device that an error is more likely to occur than the movement in the first direction. Therefore, it can be set as the suitable movement path | route which considered the characteristic of the cutting apparatus.

  According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the cutting device is configured to cut a plurality of cut objects from the same medium. The plurality of points included in the data include a starting point that is a point at which cutting starts on the outline of each cut object. When the calculation unit calculates the movement distance between two start points, the correction unit has a longer distance in the second direction than a distance in the first direction even if the distance is the same. It is configured to correct the travel distance as deemed.

  According to another preferred aspect of the present invention, the cutting device further includes a platen that supports the medium above a floor surface on which the cutting device is placed and below the cutter. When the straight line extending in the first direction at a predetermined distance from the front end portion of the medium on the medium is defined as a boundary line, the correction unit is configured such that the calculation unit is between the two start points. When calculating the movement distance, even if the distance is the same, the movement distance is considered longer when the line segment connecting the two start points intersects the boundary line than when it does not intersect the boundary line. As described above, the moving distance is corrected.

  According to another preferable aspect of the present invention, the plurality of points included in the data include a plurality of points located on the outline of the same cut object cut out from the medium. When the calculation unit calculates the movement distance between two points located on the contour line of the cut object, the correction unit has the same distance in the second direction as the first distance. The moving distance is corrected so as to be considered to be longer than the distance in the direction.

  According to another preferable aspect of the present invention, the media moving device includes a grid roller that is disposed rearward of the cutter and moves the media forward and backward. When the calculation unit calculates the movement distance between two points located on the contour line of the cut object, the correction unit calculates the distance when moving the medium forward even if the distance is the same. Is configured to correct the moving distance so that it is considered to be longer than the distance when moving the media backward.

According to another preferable aspect of the present invention, when the coordinates in the first direction and the second direction are X and Y, respectively, the calculation unit has the coordinates of X and Y as Xa and Ya, respectively. The movement distance from the point X to the point where the X and Y coordinates are Xb and Yb are regarded as [(Xa−Xb) ² + K (Ya−Yb) ² ] ^1/2 using the correction coefficient K. It is configured. The correction unit is configured to set a value larger than 1 as the correction coefficient K.

  The cutting system which concerns on this invention is provided with the said cutting apparatus and the moving path determination apparatus of the said cutter.

  The cutter moving path determination method according to the present invention includes a cutting head that is movable in a first direction, a media moving device that moves a medium in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and the cutting head. A moving path determination method for determining a moving path of the cutter relative to the medium in a cutting apparatus provided with a cutter movable in a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction It is. The moving path determination method includes an input step in which data including position information of a plurality of points cut by the cutter is input, and a movement that passes through all of the plurality of points and has the shortest total moving distance. Calculating a path by applying a genetic algorithm, and calculating the movement distance between two points in the calculation step, even if the distance is the same, Is considered to be longer than the distance in the first direction.

  According to another preferable aspect of the present invention, the cutting device is configured to be capable of cutting a plurality of cut objects from the same medium. The plurality of points included in the data include a starting point that is a point at which cutting starts on the outline of each cut object. In the calculation step, when calculating the movement distance between two start points, the distance in the second direction is considered to be longer than the distance in the first direction even if the distance is the same.

  According to another preferable aspect of the present invention, the cutting device further includes a platen that supports the medium above a floor surface on which the cutting device is placed and below the cutter. When the straight line extending in the first direction that is a predetermined distance away from the front end of the medium on the medium is defined as a boundary line, the movement distance between the two start points is calculated in the calculation step. In this case, even if the distance is the same, it is considered that the movement distance is longer when the line segment connecting the two start points intersects the boundary line than when the line segment does not intersect the boundary line.

  According to another preferable aspect of the present invention, the plurality of points included in the data include a plurality of points located on the outline of the same cut object cut out from the medium. In the calculation step, when calculating the movement distance between two points located on the outline of the cut object, the distance in the second direction is the same in the second direction even if the distance is the same. Considered longer.

  According to another preferable aspect of the present invention, the media moving device includes a grid roller that is disposed rearward of the cutter and moves the media forward and backward. In the calculation step, when calculating the movement distance between two points located on the contour line of the cut object, even when the distance is the same, the distance when moving the medium forward is the medium. Considered longer than the distance to move backwards.

According to another preferred aspect of the present invention, when the coordinates of the first direction and the second direction are X and Y, respectively, the coordinates of X and Y are Xa and Ya in the calculation step, respectively. The moving distance from the point X to the point where the X and Y coordinates are Xb and Yb, respectively, is calculated by using a correction coefficient K larger than 1 [(Xa−Xb) ² + K (Ya−Yb) ² ] ^1/2. Is considered.

  According to the present invention, there is provided a cutting apparatus including a cutting head movable in a first direction and a medium moving device that moves a medium in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. A suitable movement route can be determined.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a cutting system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of the cutting head and the cutter. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a cut object according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a movement route. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of the movement route. FIG. 6 is a table showing the values of the evaluation function for each starting point of the contour line. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a method for determining a moving path of a cutter to which a genetic algorithm is applied. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing individuals of the initial population. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing individuals after sorting. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example in which a new individual is generated by two-point crossover. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example in which a new individual is generated by partial image crossover. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example in which a new individual is generated by mutation. FIG. 13A is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a travel route, and FIG. 13B is an explanatory diagram illustrating another example of the travel route. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of a cut object according to the third embodiment. FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a moving path of a conventional cutter.

(First embodiment)
As shown in FIG. 1, the cutting system 1 </ b> A includes a cutting device 1 and a cutter movement path determination device (hereinafter referred to as a movement route determination device) 20. The cutting device 1 is a device that cuts a sheet-like medium 50. A moving path determination device 20 is connected to the cutting device 1 so as to be communicable by wire or wirelessly. The movement path determination device 20 may be separate from the cutting device 1 or may be built in the cutting device 1. In the present embodiment, the movement route determination device 20 is configured by a computer. The movement path determination device 20 may be a dedicated computer for the cutting device 1 or a general-purpose computer.

  The type of the medium 50 is not particularly limited, and is, for example, paper, synthetic resin, or the like. In the present embodiment, the medium 50 has flexibility, and has a property of hanging down due to gravity, as shown in FIG.

  In the following description, the left side and the right side respectively mean the left side and the right side when viewed from the front of the cutting device 1, and the side away from the cutting device 1 when viewed from the front of the cutting device 1 and the approaching side are the front side and the rear side, respectively. Say that. Symbols L, R, F, and Re in the figure represent left, right, front, and rear, respectively. The directions represented by the symbols X, Y, and Z in the drawing are a first direction, a second direction, and a third direction, respectively. The first direction is the left-right direction, the second direction is the front-rear direction, and the third direction is the up-down direction. The first direction, the second direction, and the third direction are directions perpendicular to each other. However, the above directions are only directions determined for convenience and are not particularly limited.

  The cutting apparatus 1 includes a guide rail 5 that extends in the left-right direction, a cutting head 10 that can move to the left and right along the guide rail 5, and a platen 2 that supports a medium 50. Side covers 9 </ b> L and 9 </ b> R are disposed on the left and right ends of the platen 2, respectively. An operation panel 6 is provided on the right side cover 9R. A stand 7 having casters 7 a is provided below the platen 2. The platen 2 is disposed above the floor surface on which the cutting device 1 is placed.

  Although not shown, a drive pulley is disposed in the vicinity of the right end portion of the guide rail 5, a driven pulley is disposed in the vicinity of the left end portion of the guide rail 5, and a belt is wound around the drive pulley and the driven pulley. ing. A drive motor that can rotate in both directions is connected to the drive pulley. The cutting head 10 is fixed to the belt. When the drive motor is driven, the drive pulley rotates and the belt circulates. As the belt circulates, the cutting head 10 moves to the left or right. In this embodiment, the cutting head 10 is movable in the left-right direction (that is, the first direction) by such a configuration. However, any known device can be used as the device for moving the cutting head 10 in the left-right direction, and is not limited at all.

  A grid roller 3 is provided on the platen 2. The grid roller 3 is driven and rotated by a feed motor (not shown). The guide rail 5 is disposed above the platen 2. A pinch roller 4 a is provided below the guide rail 5. The pinch roller 4a is attached to the guide rail 5 so as to be swingable in the vertical direction. The pinch roller 4 a faces the grid roller 3. When the grid roller 3 rotates while the medium 50 is sandwiched between the pinch roller 4a and the grid roller 3, the medium 50 moves forward or backward. In the present embodiment, with such a configuration, the medium 50 can move in the front-rear direction (that is, the second direction). The grid roller 3 and the feed motor are an example of a media moving device that moves the media 50 in the second direction. However, any known device can be used as the media moving device, and is not limited at all.

  The cutting head 10 is engaged with the guide rail 5. As conceptually shown in FIG. 2, the cutting head 10 is provided with a cutter 12. The cutter 12 is configured to be movable in the vertical direction (that is, the third direction). The cutter 12 can approach the medium 50 so as to pierce the medium 50 and can be separated from the medium 50. An apparatus for raising and lowering the cutter 12 is not particularly limited, and for example, an apparatus including an electromagnetic solenoid as an actuator can be suitably used. For example, a device that lowers the cutter 12 by energizing the electromagnetic solenoid and raises the cutter 12 by releasing the energization can be suitably used. The cutter 12 is formed so as to become thinner toward the tip side. The contour of the blade edge 12 a of the cutter 12 is inclined with respect to the surface of the medium 50. Therefore, when the cutter 12 is lowered, the cutter 12 gradually pierces the medium 50 from the tip. The cutter 12 is configured so that the direction of the blade edge 12a can be changed. Here, the cutter 12 is configured to be rotatable around a vertical axis (not shown) within a range of 360 °. When the cutting head 10 moves with respect to the medium 50, the cutter 12 is configured such that the direction of the blade edge 12a changes according to the direction of movement of the cutting head 10. However, the above configuration is merely an example, and the configuration of the cutter 12 is not particularly limited.

  The movement path determination device 20 includes an input unit 21 to which data including position information of a plurality of points to be cut by the cutter 12 is input, a calculation unit 22 that calculates the movement path of the cutter 12, and calculation by the calculation unit 22. And a correction unit 23 for correcting the above.

  The above is the configuration of the cutting device 1 and the movement route determination device 20. Next, a method for obtaining a plurality of cut objects from one medium 50 using the cutting apparatus 1 will be described. Here, as shown in FIG. 3, a method for obtaining the first to ninth cut objects A1 to A9 from one piece of medium 50 will be described.

  In order to cut a cut object from the medium 50, the cutter 12 is controlled by controlling the movement of the cutter 12 in the left-right direction and the movement of the medium 50 in the front-rear direction while the cutter 12 is pierced into the medium 50. It is necessary to move along the contour line. On the contour line of each cut object, a start point, which is a point at which cutting starts, is defined. After moving to a position on the starting point of the medium 50, the cutter 12 is pierced into the medium 50 by moving down, moves from the starting point on the contour line while being pierced into the medium 50, and returns to the starting point again. Thereby, the said cut thing is cut off.

  When cutting a plurality of cut objects from one medium 50, after cutting one cut object as described above, the cutter 12 is once raised, and the cutter 12 is directed to the start point of the outline of the next cut object. To move. When the cutter 12 reaches the start point of the outline of the next cut object, the cutter 12 is lowered again and pierced into the medium 50. Then, the cutter 12 is moved along the contour line while the cutter 12 is stuck in the medium 50. When the cutter 12 returns to the starting point again, the next cut object is cut out. Thereafter, the same operation is repeated to cut out all cut objects.

  Assume that the contour lines of the first to ninth cut objects A1 to A9 are L1 to L9, respectively, and the start points P1 to P9 are defined for the contour lines L1 to L9, respectively. When cutting out the first to ninth cut objects A1 to A9 from one piece of medium 50, the cutter 12 must be moved so as to pass through all of the starting points P1 to P9. Before the cutting apparatus 1 is driven, the movement path of the cutter 12 must be determined in advance. In the cutting system 1, the movement path determination device 20 determines the movement path of the cutter 12, and the cutting apparatus 1 moves the cutter 12 and the medium 50 along the movement path.

  Generally, it is preferable that the total moving distance of the cutter 12 is short. This is because as the total moving distance is shorter, the cutting operation can be completed in a shorter time, and the power consumption of the cutting device 1 can be reduced. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the moving path of the cutter is regarded as a problem similar to the traveling salesman problem so that the total moving distance of the cutter 12 is shortened. However, when a movement route is determined as a problem similar to the traveling salesman problem, if the number of cut objects is large, the calculation processing becomes enormous, the calculation load on the computer increases, and the calculation takes a long time. Therefore, in this embodiment, the calculation is simplified by using a genetic algorithm, and the calculation load of the computer is reduced. In addition, the calculation time was reduced. On the other hand, in the cutting apparatus 1, it is preferable that the total moving distance of the cutter 12 is short, but the most important thing is to cut all cut objects A1 to A9 into an accurate shape. Therefore, in this embodiment, the characteristics of the cutting device 1 are taken into account as an element of the evaluation function when applying the genetic algorithm so that the cut object can be easily cut into an accurate shape.

  The moving distance of the cutter 12 is specified by the X-direction distance and the Y-direction distance between the two starting points. Therefore, the distance in the X direction and the distance in the Y direction are used as elements of the evaluation function. By the way, in the cutting apparatus 1, the medium 50 is sandwiched between the pinch roller 4a and the grid roller 3 and conveyed forward and backward by the grid roller 3, but between the medium 50 and the pinch roller 4a or between the medium 50 and the grid roller. 3 may slip. Therefore, the movement in the Y direction is more likely to cause an error than the movement in the X direction. Therefore, in this embodiment, the evaluation function is set so that the movement in the Y direction is less than the movement in the X direction. In the present embodiment, the evaluation function is set so that the distance in the Y direction is considered to be longer than the distance in the X direction even at the same distance.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the cutting device 1 according to this embodiment includes a stand 7, and the platen 2 is disposed above the floor surface. The medium 50 has flexibility, and a portion of the medium 50 that is fed forward hangs down from the platen 2. Assuming that the height from the floor surface to the platen 2 is H, when the medium 50 is fed forward by a length H, the front end portion of the medium 50 comes into contact with the floor surface. The medium 50 is held by being pinched between the pinch roller 4a and the grid roller 3, but at the moment when the front end of the medium 50 comes into contact with the floor surface, the pinch roller 4a and the grid roller 3 are slightly impacted. As a result, the position of the medium 50 may be slightly shifted, and there is a concern that the quality of the cut object may be adversely affected. Therefore, in this embodiment, the movement of the cutter 12 across the length H portion from the front end portion of the medium 50 is considered as one element of the evaluation function.

The setting method of the X coordinate and the Y coordinate is not limited at all. Here, as shown in FIG. 3, the left front end of the medium 50 is set as the origin O, the X axis is directed right from the origin O, and the Y axis is taken backward from the origin O. I will do it. Assuming that any two points among the starting points P1 to P9 of the contour lines L1 to L9 are point A (Xa, Ya) and point B (Xb, Yb), the actual distance between point A and point B is as follows: (1).
[(Xa−Xb) ² + (Ya−Yb) ² ] ^1/2 (1)
However, in this embodiment, the evaluation is not performed based on the actual distance between the two points, but the coefficient K considering the characteristics of the cutting device 1 is introduced, and the following expression (2) is used as the evaluation function J (A, B). Use.
J (A, B) = [(Xa−Xb) ² + K (Ya−Yb) ² ] ^1/2 (2)
In the present embodiment, since the movement path of the cutter 12 is regarded as a problem similar to the traveling salesman problem, the smaller the value of the evaluation function J is, the better the path is evaluated.

The coefficient K is determined by the following equation (3).
K = weighting coefficient Ky in Y direction + platen height coefficient Kh (3)

  The coefficient Ky can be appropriately set according to the types of the pinch roller 4a and the grid roller 3, the pinch pressure of the pinch roller 4a, the type of the medium 50, and the like. For example, when the medium 50 is a medium made of a slippery material, the coefficient Ky may be set larger than that when the medium 50 is made of a slippery medium. As a result, the more slippery the medium 50 is, the more highly evaluated the route with less movement in the Y direction. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, even when the actual distance from point A to point B is equal to the actual distance from point A to point C, the coefficient Ky is large because the medium 50 is slippery. In this case, the route A → C, which has a short movement distance in the Y direction, has a higher evaluation than the route A → B, which has a long movement distance in the Y direction.

  The coefficient Kh is a coefficient considering the contact of the front end portion of the medium 50 with the floor surface. The coefficient Kh is a value depending on whether or not the movement between two points crosses the boundary line Lc when a straight line extending in the X direction away from the front end portion of the medium 50 by a distance H on the medium 50 is defined as the boundary line Lc. Are different coefficients. In other words, the coefficient varies depending on whether or not the line connecting the two points intersects the boundary line Lc. When the line segment connecting the two points intersects the boundary line Lc, the value of the coefficient Kh is larger than when the line segment does not intersect. Therefore, even if the actual distance between the two points is the same, the movement distance is considered longer when the line segment connecting the two points intersects the boundary line Lc than when it does not intersect the boundary line Lc. Correction is performed as described above. For example, when considering point A, point B, and point C as shown in FIG. 5, the line segment connecting point A and point B intersects the boundary line Lc, but the line segment connecting point A and point C is Since it does not intersect with the boundary line Lc, the coefficient Kh when taking the route of A → B is larger than the coefficient Kh when taking the route of A → C. For example, the route A → B → C has a shorter total travel distance than the route A → C → B, but crosses the boundary line Lc twice, so the evaluation is higher than the route A → C → B. May be lower. This is because an error is more likely to occur as the number of times of crossing the boundary line Lc increases.

FIG. 6 is a table showing the evaluation function values for the start points P1 to P9 of the contour lines L1 to L9. That is, in FIG. 6, the arbitrary one of the starting points P1 to P9 is regarded as the point A and the other arbitrary one is regarded as the point B, and the evaluation function J (A , B) represents the result of operation. The distance from the origin is calculated by (X ² + Y ² ) ^1/2 . For example, the distances from the origin of point A (Xa, Ya) and point B (Xb, Yb) are (Xa ² + Ya ² ) ^1/2 and (Xb ² + Yb ² ) ^1/2 , respectively.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a cutter moving path determination method according to the present embodiment. In this determination method, a genetic algorithm is used. First, in step S1, an initial group is generated. In step S1, first, a predetermined number of individuals (hereinafter referred to as the number of individuals n) is generated. Each individual has 9 genes arranged from any one of the starting points P1 to P9. The sequence of each individual gene is determined by random numbers. As a result, for example, n individuals G0 ₁ , G0 ₂ , G0 ₃ ,..., G0 _n as shown in FIG. 8 to 12, the start points P1 to P9 are simply expressed as “1” to “9”, respectively.

Next, the n individuals are rearranged in order of increasing distance from the origin. That is, sorting is performed. In particular,
(1) Among the two individuals to be compared, an individual whose first gene is closer to the origin is regarded as an excellent individual, and given a high evaluation and raised to the top.
(2) Among the two individuals to be compared, if the distance from the origin of the first gene is equal, the individual whose second gene is closer to the origin is regarded as an excellent individual and given a high evaluation and raised to the top .
Similarly, of the two individuals to be compared, the mth gene is close to the origin when the distance from the origin of the genes up to m-1 (where 3 <m ≦ n) is the same. The individual is regarded as an excellent individual and given a high evaluation and raised to the top. As a result, the n individuals G0 ₁ , G0 ₂ , G0 ₃ ,..., G0 _n are sorted and rearranged as shown in FIG. In FIG. 9, the n individuals after sorting are sequentially designated as G1 ₁ , G1 ₂ , G1 ₃ ,..., G1 _n .

Next, the fitness of step S2 is evaluated. In the fitness evaluation, the total value of the evaluation function J of each individual is calculated. For example, the individual G1 ₁ in FIG. 9, since genes are arranged in the order of 1 → 2 → 3 → 9 → 4 → 6 → 8 → 7 → 5, the total value of the evaluation function, J (P1, P2) + J (P2, P3) + J (P3, P9) + J (P9, P4) + J (P4, P6) + J (P6, P8) + J (P8, P7) + J (P7, P5) are calculated. Then, the total values of the evaluation functions J of the _n individuals G1 ₁ , G1 ₂ , G1 ₃ ,..., G1 _n calculated in this way are compared, and the smaller the total value of the evaluation functions, the better the individual, Give a high rating. And it rearranges so that what was given high evaluation becomes a high rank.

In addition, in the individual | organism | solid which does not contain either one of all the genes 1-9, since the cutter 12 does not pass through any starting point, it cannot obtain all the cut objects A1-A9. Therefore, an individual that does not contain all the genes 1 to 9 is positioned at the lower level. Hereinafter, the n individuals after sorting are referred to as G2 ₁ , G2 ₂ , G2 ₃ ,..., G2 _n in order.

  Next, the selection in step S3 is performed. The selection is a step of selecting n excellent individuals from the group. In other words, the selection is a step of selecting n individuals having a high evaluation in the fitness evaluation. In the first selection, since the number of individuals included in the group is n, all individuals are selected.

  Next, the crossover of step S4 is performed. The method of crossing is not particularly limited, and various known methods can be used. A combination of known crossover techniques may be applied. In this embodiment, two-point crossover is used in the first half of the process, and partial image crossover is used in the second half of the process. For example, when the maximum number of times of processing is set to 2p (p is a natural number), two-point crossover is used in step S4 of the first to pth times, and partial image crossover is used in step S4 of the p + 1 to 2p time.

In the two-point crossover, an individual G2 ₁ having the highest evaluation in fitness evaluation (hereinafter referred to as the best individual) and _one of the other individuals G2 ₂ , G2 ₃ ,..., G2 _n are paired. . Then, for each pair, the individual a combination of a late gene of the first half of the gene and the other individuals best individuals G2 _1, obtained by inverting the gene in the first half of the best individuals G2 ₁ and the second half of the other individuals And an individual combined with an inverted version of the gene. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, G2 ₁₂ and G2 ₂₁ are generated from a pair of G2 ₁ and G2 ₂ .

In partial image crossover, for each pair, a section of the best individual is exchanged with the section of another individual. Which section is exchanged is determined at random. For example, when the third to sixth sections are exchanged for the pair of the best individual GS ₁ and the other individual GS ₂ shown in FIG. 11, the total value of the evaluation functions of the section of GS ₁ and GS ₂ When the total value of the evaluation function of the relevant section of GS ₂ is smaller, the relevant section of GS ₁ is replaced with the relevant section of GS ₂ . That is, when J (P3, P9) + J (P9, P4) + J (P4, P6)> J (P3, P4) + J (P4, P5) + J (P5, P6), GS ₁ is expressed as GS ₁ ′. Change to

Next, the mutation in step S5 is performed. In the mutation, a new individual having a new gene combination is generated according to a predetermined rule. The method of mutation is not limited at all, and various known methods can be used. Here, mutations are generated at a predetermined rate for individuals other than the best individual. For example, a predetermined section is reversed for a predetermined ratio of individuals other than the best individual. For example, for individuals GS ₂ shown in FIG. 12, to invert the 5 th to 8-th interval gene. As a result, a new individual GS ₂ ′ is generated as a result of the mutation.

  Next, in step S6, fitness is evaluated. In the fitness evaluation, the total value of the evaluation function J is calculated for each of the n individuals selected in step S3 and the new individuals generated in steps S4 and S5. Then, the sorting is performed in ascending order of the total value of the evaluation functions J. That is, the smaller the total value of the evaluation function J is, the higher the individual is ranked as the superior individual. The top individual is the best individual.

Next, in step S7, end determination is performed. Step S7 is a step of determining whether or not the following (1) or (2) is satisfied.
(1) The number of processes in steps S3 to S6 has reached a predetermined number.
(2) The individual selected as the best individual in step S6 is the same for a predetermined number of times (in other words, the same individual is selected as the best individual for a predetermined number of times).

  If the decision result in the step S7 is NO, the process returns to the step S3, and the processes after the step S3 are repeated again. On the other hand, if the decision result in the step S7 is YES, the process is ended. As a result, the movement path specified by the best individual is regarded as the optimum movement path of the cutter. As described above, the moving path of the cutter is determined.

  Next, the operation of the cutting apparatus 1 will be briefly described. First, data including position information of a plurality of points cut by the cutter 12 is input to the input unit 21 of the movement path determination device 20. In the present embodiment, data for specifying what shape to cut in which area of one piece of media 50 (hereinafter referred to as cut object data) is input. The cut object data is data for specifying the positions, dimensions, and shapes of the first to ninth cut objects A1 to A9.

  After the cut object data is input, the calculation unit 22 and the correction unit 23 of the movement path determination device 20 determine the movement path of the cutter 12 with respect to the medium 50. The method for determining the movement path of the cutter 12 is as described above. The correction unit 23 determines the correction coefficient K, and the calculation unit 22 executes the various calculations described above.

  After the movement path of the cutter 12 is determined, the movement path determination device 20 transmits cutting data including information on the movement route of the cutter 12 to the cutting device 1. The cutting apparatus 1 that has received the cutting data moves the cutter 12 along the movement path by appropriately moving the cutting head 10 in the X direction and appropriately moving the medium 50 in the Y direction. Thereby, the 1st-9th cut thing A1-A9 is cut out from the media 50 of 1 sheet.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the travel route with the shortest total travel distance (the travel route with the shortest total travel distance here is the shortest actual total travel distance). This is not a movement path, but a movement path in which the total movement distance after correction by the correction unit 23 is the shortest.) Is calculated, so that the cutting time can be reduced by moving the cutter 12 along the movement path. Shortening and power consumption can be reduced. Further, the correction unit 23 performs correction so that the distance in the Y direction is considered to be longer than the distance in the X direction even if the distance is the same, so that the movement in the Y direction is the movement in the X direction. The moving path of the cutter 12 can be determined in consideration of the characteristic of the cutting device 1 that an error is more likely to occur. Therefore, a suitable movement path in consideration of the characteristics of the cutting device 1 can be selected as the movement path of the cutter 12.

  Further, if the front end of the medium 50 comes into contact with the floor surface in the middle of cutting, an error in the cutting position may occur. According to the present embodiment, the cutter 12 is moved so that such an error is unlikely to occur. A route is determined. Therefore, it is possible to select a more suitable movement path in consideration of the characteristics of the cutting device 1.

(Second Embodiment)
The method for determining the movement path of the cutter in the first embodiment is a method for determining how to move the cutter 12 with respect to the start points of the contour lines of a plurality of cut objects, and the cutter 12 is stuck in the medium 50. This is a method for determining how to move the cutter 12 in a state where there is not. On the other hand, the method for determining the movement path of the cutter in the second embodiment is a method for determining how to move the cutter 12 with respect to a plurality of points on the contour line of the same cut object. This is a method for determining how to move the cutter 12 while the cutter 12 is stuck in the medium 50. Since the configurations of the cutting device 1 and the movement route determination device 20 are the same as those in the first embodiment, their descriptions are omitted.

  In the cutting device 1, the grid roller 3 is disposed behind the cutter 12. Therefore, in the cutting apparatus 1, for example, when cutting along a straight line extending in the Y direction, if the force for pressing the cutter 12 against the medium 50 (hereinafter referred to as “cutting pressure”) is large, the medium 50 is moved forward and cut. The quality of the cut is more stable when the medium 50 is moved backward and cut. This is because when the cutting pressure is large, the medium 50 may be bent between the grid roller 3 and the cutter 12 when the medium 50 is moved forward.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, as one of the elements of the coefficient K, a cutting direction coefficient Kc that considers the cutting pressure and the direction of movement of the cutter 12 in a state of being stabbed into the medium 50 is introduced. In the present embodiment, the coefficient K is determined by the following equation (4).
K = weighting coefficient Ky in the Y direction + cutting direction coefficient Kc (4)

When moving from the point A (Xa, Ya) to the point B (Xb, Yb), the coefficient Kc is determined by the following equation (5).
Kc = [(Yb−Ya) / | Yb−Ya |] × (Pc / Pc _max ) (5)
Here, Pc is a cutting pressure, and Pc _max is a maximum value of the cutting pressure of the cutting head 10. When the direction of movement of the cutter 12 with the medium 50 stabbed is backward (that is, when the medium 50 moves forward), Kc becomes a positive value, and the cutter 12 moves with the medium 50 pierced. Is forward (that is, when the medium 50 moves backward), Kc takes a negative value. The value of the coefficient Kc is smaller when the media 50 is moved backward and cut than when the media 50 is moved forward and cut. Further, when the media 50 is moved forward and cut, the value of Kc is smaller when the cut pressure is smaller than when the cut pressure is large.

  Also in this embodiment, the moving path of the cutter 12 is determined using a genetic algorithm. That is, using the evaluation function J including the coefficient K defined by the above equation (4) (see the above equation (2)), the genetic algorithm is applied to determine the optimum movement path of the cutter 12. In the present embodiment, since the cutting direction coefficient Kc is included in the coefficient K in the evaluation function J, for example, when cutting a square shown in FIG. 13A, the movement route shown in FIG. 13A is not necessarily taken. Instead, the movement route shown in FIG. 13B may be taken.

  In the movement path shown in FIG. 13A, after the cutter 12 is lowered at the start point P1 and pierced into the medium 50, the cutter 12 is moved in the order of P1, P2, P3, P4, and P1 while being pierced into the medium 50. Let In the movement path shown in FIG. 13B, after the cutter 12 is lowered at the starting point P1 and stabbed into the medium 50, the cutter 12 is moved in the order of P1 → P2 → P3 while being stabbed into the medium 50, and then temporarily The cutter 12 is raised. Next, after the cutter 12 is moved from P3 to P1 above the medium 50, the cutter 12 is lowered again, and pierces the medium 50 at the point P1. Then, the cutter 12 is moved in the order of P1 → P4 → P3 with the medium 50 being stuck.

  For example, when the cutting pressure is high because the medium 50 is formed of a hard material, the movement path illustrated in FIG. 13A includes a path P3 → P4 in which the medium 50 is moved forward and cut. The moving route shown in FIG. 13B does not include a route for cutting the medium 50 by moving it forward. Therefore, the quality of the cut can be improved.

  The method for applying the genetic algorithm is the same as that in the first embodiment, and processing is performed according to the flowchart of FIG. Since the processing method is the same as in the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted. Moreover, since the process after the movement path | route of the cutter 12 is determined by the movement path | route determination apparatus 20 is the same as that of 1st Embodiment, the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As described above, in the cutting apparatus 1, when cutting is performed while moving the medium 50 forward, the medium 50 is bent between the grid roller 3 and the cutter 12, which may cause an error in the cutting position. However, according to the present embodiment, the movement path of the cutter 12 is determined so that such an error hardly occurs. Therefore, it can be set as the suitable movement path | route which considered the characteristic of the cutting apparatus 1. FIG.

(Third embodiment)
The third embodiment is a combination of the first embodiment and the second embodiment. That is, the cutter moving path determination method according to the third embodiment uses the cutter 12 when cutting a plurality of cut objects defined by contour lines including a plurality of points, as shown in FIG. 14, for example. It is a method of determining whether to move to. The method for determining the movement path of the cutter in the third embodiment includes both movement in a state where the cutter 12 is not stuck in the medium 50 and movement in a state where the cutter 12 is stuck in the medium 50. This is a method for determining how to move the cutter.

  In the example shown in FIG. 14, the cut object A1 includes points P1-1, P1-2, P1-3, and P1-4, and the cut object A2 includes points P2-1, P2-2, and P2-3. , And P2-4. Similarly, although the illustration is omitted, the cut object An includes points Pn-1, Pn-1, Pn-1, and Pn-4 (where n is an integer of 3 or more and 9 or less).

In this embodiment, in addition to the weighting coefficient Ky in the Y direction, the platen height coefficient Kh is taken into consideration as in the first embodiment, and the cutting direction coefficient Kc is used in the same manner as in the second embodiment. Consider. In the present embodiment, the coefficient K is determined by the following equation (6).
K = weighting coefficient Ky in Y direction + platen height coefficient Kh + cutting direction coefficient Kc (6)

  Also in this embodiment, the moving path of the cutter is determined using a genetic algorithm. That is, the optimal movement path of the cutter 12 is determined by applying the genetic algorithm using the evaluation function J including the coefficient K defined by the above equation (6) (see the above equation (2)). The method of applying the genetic algorithm is the same as in the first embodiment, and processing is performed according to the flowchart of FIG. Since the processing method is the same as in the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted. Moreover, since the process after the movement path | route of the cutter 12 is determined by the movement path | route determination apparatus 20 is the same as that of 1st Embodiment, the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  According to the present embodiment, it is possible to select a more suitable movement path in consideration of the characteristics of the cutting device 1 as the movement path of the cutter 12.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cutting apparatus 1A Cutting system 10 Cutting head 12 Cutter 20 Cutter movement path determination apparatus 21 Input part 22 Calculation part 23 Correction | amendment part 50 Media X 1st direction Y 2nd direction Z 3rd direction

Claims (13)

A cutting head movable in a first direction;
A media moving device for moving media in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction;
A cutter provided in the cutting head and movable in a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction;
A moving path determining apparatus for determining a moving path of the cutter with respect to the medium,
An input unit for inputting data including position information of a plurality of points to be cut by the cutter;
When calculating the movement distance between two points, the movement distance is corrected so that the distance in the second direction is considered to be longer than the distance in the first direction even if the distance is the same. A correction unit;
When the data is input to the input unit, a movement path that passes through all of the plurality of points and has the shortest total movement distance is calculated by applying a genetic algorithm while being corrected by the correction unit. An arithmetic unit to perform,
The moving path determination device of the cutter provided with. The cutting device is configured to be capable of cutting a plurality of cut objects from the same medium,
The plurality of points included in the data include a start point that is a point at which cutting starts on the outline of each cut object,
When the calculation unit calculates the movement distance between two start points, the correction unit has a longer distance in the second direction than a distance in the first direction even if the distance is the same. The cutter movement path determination device according to claim 1, configured to correct the movement distance to be considered. The cutting device further includes a platen that supports the media above a floor surface on which the cutting device is placed and below the cutter,
When a straight line extending in the first direction that is a predetermined distance away from the front end of the medium on the medium is a boundary line,
In the correction unit, when the calculation unit calculates the movement distance between two start points, the line segment connecting the two start points intersects the boundary line even if the distance is the same. The cutter movement path determination device according to claim 2, configured to correct the movement distance so that the movement distance is considered to be longer than a case in which the boundary line does not intersect. The plurality of points included in the data include a plurality of points located on the outline of the same cut object cut from the medium,
When the calculation unit calculates the movement distance between two points located on the contour line of the cut object, the correction unit has the same distance in the second direction as the first distance. The cutter movement path determination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the movement distance determination unit is configured to correct the movement distance so as to be considered to be longer than a distance in the direction of the cutter. The media moving device includes a grid roller disposed behind the cutter and moving the media forward and backward,
When the calculation unit calculates the movement distance between two points located on the contour line of the cut object, the correction unit calculates the distance when moving the medium forward even if the distance is the same. 5. The cutter moving path determination device according to claim 4, wherein the moving distance is corrected such that the moving distance is considered to be longer than a distance when moving the medium backward. When the coordinates of the first direction and the second direction are X and Y, respectively,
The calculation unit uses the correction coefficient K to calculate the movement distances from the X and Y coordinates of the Xa and Ya points to the X and Y coordinates of the Xb and Yb points, respectively [(Xa−Xb) ^2. + K (Ya−Yb) ² ] ^1/2 ,
6. The cutter movement path determination device according to claim 1, wherein the correction unit is configured to set a value larger than 1 as the correction coefficient K. 7. The cutting device;
The moving path determination device for a cutter according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
Cutting system equipped with. A cutting head movable in a first direction;
A media moving device for moving media in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction;
A cutter provided in the cutting head and movable in a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction;
In a cutting apparatus comprising: a moving path determination method for determining a moving path of the cutter with respect to the medium,
An input step in which data including positional information of a plurality of points to be cut by the cutter is input;
An operation step that applies a genetic algorithm to calculate a movement route that passes through all of the plurality of points and has the shortest total movement distance,
In the calculation step, when calculating the movement distance between two points, even if the distance is the same, the distance in the second direction is considered to be longer than the distance in the first direction. Route determination method. The cutting device is configured to be capable of cutting a plurality of cut objects from the same medium,
The plurality of points included in the data include a start point that is a point at which cutting starts on the outline of each cut object,
In the calculation step, when calculating a movement distance between two start points, even if the distance is the same, the distance in the second direction is considered to be longer than the distance in the first direction. The cutter moving path determination method according to claim 8. The cutting device further includes a platen that supports the media above a floor surface on which the cutting device is placed and below the cutter,
When a straight line extending in the first direction that is a predetermined distance away from the front end of the medium on the medium is a boundary line,
In the calculation step, when calculating the movement distance between two start points, even when the distance is the same, the line segment connecting the two start points intersects the boundary line. The method for determining a moving path of the cutter according to claim 9, wherein the moving distance is considered to be longer than the case where the moving distance is not. The plurality of points included in the data include a plurality of points located on the outline of the same cut object cut from the medium,
In the calculation step, when calculating the movement distance between two points located on the outline of the cut object, the distance in the second direction is the same in the second direction even if the distance is the same. The method for determining a moving path of the cutter according to claim 8, wherein the moving path is determined to be longer than the time. The media moving device includes a grid roller disposed behind the cutter and moving the media forward and backward,
In the calculation step, when calculating the movement distance between two points located on the contour line of the cut object, even when the distance is the same, the distance when moving the medium forward is the medium. The method of determining a moving path of a cutter according to claim 11, wherein the moving path is determined to be longer than a distance when moving backward. When the coordinates of the first direction and the second direction are X and Y, respectively,
In the calculation step, the movement distance from the point of Xa, Ya coordinates Xa, Ya to the point of Xb, Yb coordinates X, Y, respectively, is calculated using a correction coefficient K greater than 1 [(Xa The method of determining the movement path of the cutter according to any one of claims 8 to 12, which is regarded as -Xb) ² + K (Ya-Yb) ² ] ^1/2 .

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