JP2018008365A - Cutting device and cutting method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cutting device and a cutting method which can make reduction in cutting time and improvement in accuracy of cutting compatible with good balance.SOLUTION: The cutting device comprises: a main crop mark printing section for printing first-fourth main crop marks C1-C4; an auxiliary crop mark printing section which prints auxiliary crop marks C11-C20 on a space between the first main crop mark C1 and the third main crop mark C3 and prints auxiliary crop marks C21-C30 on a space between the second main crop mark C2 and the fourth main crop mark C4; and a positioning control section which performs positioning of a cutting head on the basis of positions of three or more of the first-fourth main crop marks C1-C4 and the auxiliary crop marks C11-C30 which are detected by a crop mark detecting device at the time of cutting.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to a cutting apparatus and a cutting method.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a cutting device that cuts a medium made of paper, a resin sheet or the like is known. A cutting device having a function of printing on a medium is also known. For example, Patent Document 1 describes such a cutting apparatus. In such a cutting apparatus, for example, after printing a plurality of images on a medium, a process of cutting the periphery of each image on the medium with a cutter is performed. The position of the cut line with respect to each image is determined in advance, and in order to perform cutting with high accuracy, it is necessary to minimize the positional deviation between the locus followed by the cutter and the predetermined cut line.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228561 describes that when an image is printed on a medium, a plurality of crop marks are printed around each image. Then, the positions of these crop marks are detected at the time of cutting, and the cutting head is positioned based on the positions of the crop marks. Thus, by using the crop marks printed around each image, the cutting head can be positioned with high accuracy, and the accuracy of cutting can be increased.

JP 2001-260443 A

  However, printing multiple crop marks around each image and detecting the position of the crop mark for each image during cutting improves the accuracy of cutting, but takes a lot of time for cutting. I need it.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10, it is conceivable to print the crop marks C outside the four corners of the rectangular area 201 including the entire image 200 instead of printing the crop marks outside the four corners of each image 200. As a result, the time required to detect the position of the crop mark C can be greatly reduced. However, if the number of crop marks used for positioning of the cutting head is small, the positioning accuracy with respect to each image 200 when the cutting head is cut may be lowered depending on the medium, and an error in the cutting position may occur.

  The following items can be considered as causes of such errors. In the cutting device, the cutting position data is calibrated based on the position detection of the crop mark C, and the positioning of the cutting head with respect to each image 200 is performed based on the calibration value of the cutting position data. However, after the calibration is performed, when the medium moves on the platen, a positional relationship between the medium and the platen is shifted, and a positional shift is generated between the cutting head and each image 200 on the medium. There is. Reasons for the positional displacement of the medium moving on the platen include friction between the platen and the medium, slipping of a pinch roller contacting the medium, expansion and contraction of the medium due to temperature and humidity, and the like. When the number of each image 200 increases, the length of the medium 202 in the longitudinal direction X tends to be longer than the length in the width direction Y. In particular, the cutting position error is likely to occur in the longitudinal direction X.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a point, and an object thereof is to provide a cutting apparatus and a cutting method capable of achieving both a reduction in cutting time and an improvement in cutting accuracy in a balanced manner.

  A cutting apparatus according to the present invention includes a support base that supports a medium, a print head that performs printing on the medium supported by the support base, a cutting head that cuts the medium supported by the support base, A first moving mechanism that moves the print head in the main scanning direction, which is the width direction of the medium during printing, and moves the cutting head in the main scanning direction during cutting; and the medium supported by the support table during printing Is moved relative to the print head in the sub-scanning direction, which is the longitudinal direction of the medium, and the medium supported by the support table during cutting is moved relative to the cutting head in the sub-scanning direction. A plurality of images on the medium by controlling the second moving mechanism, the print head, the first moving mechanism, and the second moving mechanism. And a printing control device that prints a plurality of crop marks, a cutting control device that cuts the medium by controlling the cutting head, the first moving mechanism, and the second moving mechanism, and a position of the crop mark. And a crop mark detecting device for detecting. The plurality of images include two or more images having different positions in the sub-scanning direction. The print control device is positioned outside a first main crop mark located outside one of four corners of a rectangular area including all of the plurality of images on the medium, and outside the other one of the four corners. The second main crop mark spaced from the first main crop mark in the main scanning direction and the outer side of the other one of the four corners, and separated from the first main crop mark in the sub scanning direction. Located outside the third main crop mark and the other one of the four corners, spaced from the second main crop mark in the sub-scanning direction and spaced from the third main crop mark in the main scanning direction A fourth main crop mark, a main crop mark printing unit for printing, a space between the first main crop mark and the third main crop mark on the medium, and the second main crop mark. Between the fourth main crop marked Pumaku has one or more auxiliary crop mark printing unit for printing an auxiliary crop marks, the. The cutting control device is configured to control the cutting head based on three or more positions of the first to fourth main crop marks and the auxiliary crop marks detected by the crop mark detection device at the time of cutting. It has a positioning control unit that performs positioning.

  Another cutting apparatus according to the present invention includes a support base that supports a medium on which a plurality of images and a plurality of crop marks are printed, a cutting head that cuts the medium supported by the support base, and the cutting head. A first moving mechanism that moves in the main scanning direction, which is the width direction of the medium, and the medium supported by the support base is moved relative to the cutting head in the sub-scanning direction, which is the longitudinal direction of the medium. A second moving mechanism that controls the cutting head, the first moving mechanism, and the second moving mechanism to control the cutting control device that cuts the medium, and a crop mark detection that detects the position of the crop mark. An apparatus. The plurality of images include two or more images having different positions in the sub-scanning direction. The plurality of crop marks include a first main crop mark located outside one of the four corners of a rectangular area including all of the plurality of images on the medium and the other one outside the four corners. A second main crop mark that is positioned and spaced apart from the first main crop mark in the main scanning direction, and is positioned outside the other one of the four corners, and from the first main crop mark in the sub-scanning direction. A third main crop mark that is spaced apart and located outside the other one of the four corners, spaced from the second main crop mark in the sub-scanning direction, and from the third main crop mark in the main scanning direction And a fourth main crop mark that is spaced apart. The plurality of crop marks are further printed between the first main crop mark and the third main crop mark on the medium and between the second main crop mark and the fourth main crop mark. One or more auxiliary crop marks are included. The cutting control device is configured to control the cutting head based on three or more positions of the first to fourth main crop marks and the auxiliary crop marks detected by the crop mark detection device at the time of cutting. It has a positioning control unit that performs positioning.

  The cutting method according to the present invention includes a step of printing a plurality of images including two or more images arranged in a sub-scanning direction that is a longitudinal direction of the medium, and all of the plurality of images on the medium. A first main crop mark located outside one of the four corners of the included rectangular region, and a first main crop mark located outside the other one of the four corners and spaced apart from the first main crop mark in the main scanning direction. Two main crop marks, a third main crop mark located outside the other one of the four corners and spaced from the first main crop mark in the sub-scanning direction, and another one of the four corners Printing a fourth main crop mark located outside and spaced from the second main crop mark in the sub-scanning direction and spaced from the third main crop mark in the main scanning direction; One or more auxiliary crop marks are provided between the first main crop mark and the third main crop mark and between the second main crop mark and the fourth main crop mark in the medium. A step of printing, a step of detecting three or more positions of the first to fourth main crop marks and the auxiliary crop mark by a crop mark detection device, and the first of which is detected by the crop mark detection device. A step of positioning the cutting head based on the positions of the first to fourth main crop marks and the auxiliary crop mark, and along the cut lines set for each of the plurality of images by the positioned cutting head Cutting the medium.

  According to the cutting device and the cutting method, in addition to the first to fourth crop marks located outside the four corners of the rectangular area including all of the plurality of images, the first crop marks spaced apart from each other in the sub-scanning direction The cutting head can be positioned by using the auxiliary crop marks arranged between the third crop marks and between the second crop marks and the fourth crop marks that are separated from each other in the sub-scanning direction. . Therefore, the cutting time can be shortened compared to the case where the position of the crop mark is detected for each image during cutting. Also, the cutting position accuracy can be improved as compared with the case where the cutting head is positioned using only the first to fourth crop marks.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a cutting device and a cutting method capable of achieving both a reduction in cutting time and an improvement in cutting accuracy in a balanced manner.

It is a perspective view of a cutting device concerning one embodiment of the present invention. (A) And (b) is a front view of a printing head and a cutting head. It is a block diagram of a control system of a cutting device It is a block diagram of a controller. It is a top view of the medium on which the image and crop mark concerning 1st Embodiment and 2nd Embodiment were printed. It is a block diagram of a positioning control part. It is a top view of the medium on which the image and crop mark which concern on 3rd Embodiment were printed. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image for setting a print length. It is a figure showing an example of the image for setting the number of data. FIG. 6 is a plan view of a medium on which crop marks are printed outside the four corners of a rectangular area including all images.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the cutting apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is a print and cut machine capable of printing and cutting on a medium 50. Although illustration is omitted, the medium 50 according to the present embodiment is a sealing material composed of a mount and release paper laminated on the mount and coated with an adhesive. However, the medium 50 is not particularly limited as long as it can be printed and cut. The medium 50 may be a recording paper, a resin sheet, or the like. In this specification, “cutting” and “cutting” means cutting the entire medium 50 in the thickness direction (for example, cutting both the base material and release paper of the sealing material), and cutting the medium 50 in the thickness direction. The case where a part is cut (for example, the case where the mount of the sealing material is not cut and only the release paper is cut) is included.

  The cutting apparatus 1 includes a platen 2 that supports a medium 50, a print head 10 that performs printing on the medium 50 supported by the platen 2, and a cutting head 20 that cuts the medium 50 supported by the platen 2. Yes. Although details will be described later, the print head 10 and the cutting head 20 are configured to be movable in the Y direction in the figure. Hereinafter, the Y direction is referred to as the main scanning direction or the left-right direction, and the X direction that is perpendicular to the Y direction is referred to as the sub-scanning direction or the front-rear direction. The main scanning direction corresponds to the width direction of the medium 50, and the sub-scanning direction corresponds to the longitudinal direction of the medium 50. Reference numerals F, Rr, L, and R in FIG. 1 represent front, rear, left, and right, respectively.

  In the present embodiment, the print head 10 is configured by an inkjet head that ejects ink. However, the printing method of the print head 10 is not limited to the ink jet method, and the print head 10 is not limited to the ink jet head. The print head 10 may be, for example, a print head that performs dot impact printing.

  A grid roller 3 is provided on the platen 2. The grid roller 3 is rotated by being driven by a feed motor 61 (not shown in FIG. 1, refer to FIG. 3). A guide rail 5 is provided above the platen 2. The guide rail 5 extends in the left-right direction. A pinch roller 4 is provided below the guide rail 5. The pinch roller 4 is disposed above the grid roller 3. The pinch roller 4 is configured to be swingable up and down so that it can approach and separate from the grid roller 3. When the grid roller 3 rotates while the medium 50 is sandwiched between the pinch roller 4 and the grid roller 3, the medium 50 is conveyed forward or backward. In FIG. 1, only three grid rollers 3 and two pinch rollers 4 are shown, but in reality, more grid rollers 3 and pinch rollers 4 are arranged in the main scanning direction. The grid roller 3 and the feed motor 61 constitute a second moving mechanism that moves the medium 50 relative to the print head 10 and the cutting head 20 in the sub-scanning direction.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the print head 10 is supported on the guide rail 5 via the carriage 11. The cutting head 20 is supported on the guide rail 5 via the carriage 21. The carriage 11 and the carriage 21 are engaged with the guide rail 5 so as to be movable in the left-right direction.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, a cutter 23 is attached to the carriage 21 via a solenoid 22. The solenoid 22 is controlled by a controller 60 (see FIG. 3). When the solenoid 22 is turned ON / OFF, the cutter 23 moves in the vertical direction and contacts the medium 50 or moves away from the medium 50. The cutting head 20 is provided with a sensor 25 for detecting a crop mark described later. The type of the sensor 25 is not particularly limited, and various conventionally used sensors such as an optical sensor can be suitably used. A connecting member 24 composed of a magnet is fixed to the right side of the carriage 21.

  A belt 6 extending in the left-right direction is fixed to the upper back of the carriage 21. The belt 6 is connected to a scan motor 62 (see FIG. 3). When the scan motor 62 rotates, the belt 6 runs in the left-right direction. As a result, the carriage 21 moves in the left-right direction. The scan motor 62 is controlled by the controller 60. The carriage 21, the guide rail 5, and the scan motor 62 constitute a first moving mechanism that moves the print head 10 and the cutting head 20 in the main scanning direction.

  The carriage 11 of the print head 10 supports a recording head 12 having a plurality of nozzles (not shown) that eject ink. Here, five recording heads 12 are supported by the carriage 11. The five recording heads 12 eject five different colors, for example, yellow ink, magenta ink, cyan ink, black ink, and white ink. However, the number of recording heads 12 is not limited to five. Further, the color of ink ejected by the recording head 12 is not limited at all.

  A connecting member 14 made of a magnet is provided on the left side portion of the carriage 11. The connecting member 14 is detachably connected to the connecting member 24 of the cutting head 20. In the present embodiment, the connecting members 14 and 24 utilize magnetic force. However, the connecting members 14 and 24 are not limited to those using magnetic force, and may have other configurations such as an engaging member. On the right side of the carriage 11, a receiving metal 15 formed in an L shape is provided.

  Side frames 7 </ b> L and 7 </ b> R are disposed at the left and right ends of the platen 2. The guide rail 5 is supported by both side frames 7L and 7R. The right side frame 7R is provided with a lock device 30 for locking the print head 10 to the standby position. The locking device 30 is a locking member that is hooked on the receiving member 15, and a locking device that moves the receiving member 31 between a locked position (see FIG. 2B) and an unlocked position (see FIG. 2A). And a solenoid 32 (see FIG. 3). The locking solenoid 32 is controlled by the controller 60.

  As shown in FIG. 2 (a), when printing is performed by the print head 10, the metal fitting 31 is set to the non-lock position. When the carriage 21 of the cutting head 20 moves to the right and the connecting member 24 and the connecting member 14 come into contact with each other, the carriage 21 and the carriage 11 are connected. As a result, the print head 10 can move in the left-right direction together with the cutting head 20. On the other hand, when cutting with the cutting head 20, as shown in FIG. 2B, the print head 10 is positioned at the standby position, and the catch 31 of the lock device 30 is set at the lock position. Thereby, the movement of the print head 10 is prevented. When the carriage 21 moves to the left, the connecting member 24 and the connecting member 14 are separated from each other, and the connection between the carriage 21 and the carriage 11 is released. As a result, the cutting head 20 can move in the left-right direction while the print head 10 is in the standby position.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the cutting device 1 includes an upper cover 8 that constitutes an upper casing. Side covers 9L and 9R are provided on the left side of the side frame 7L and on the right side of the side frame 7R (see FIG. 2A), respectively. An operation panel 35 having buttons and a display is disposed on the front surface of the right side cover 9R. Below the platen 2, a stand 36 with casters is provided.

  Although not shown, the cutting apparatus 1 includes a supply roller around which the medium 50 before printing is wound. The supply roller is disposed obliquely below the platen 2. At the time of printing, the medium 50 wound around the supply roller is conveyed forward via the platen 2.

  The controller 60 is configured by a microcomputer including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like (not shown). As shown in FIG. 3, the controller 60 is connected to an external computer 70 via an interface 63 so that wired or wireless communication is possible. The computer 70 stores data for printing and cutting. The controller 60 receives data from the computer 70 and controls the feed motor 61, the scan motor 62, the lock device 30, the cutting head 20, and the print head 10. Connected to the computer 70 are an input device 71 such as a keyboard and a mouse, and a display device 72 such as a liquid crystal display.

  FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of the controller 60. That is, it is a block diagram showing functions that the controller 60 performs when the controller 60 receives data from the computer 70. Each unit of the controller 60 described later is physically configured by one or two or more processors. As shown in FIG. 4, the controller 60 includes a print control unit 80 and a cutting control unit 90.

  The print control unit 80 executes printing. The print controller 80 drives the scan motor 62 to eject ink from each recording head 12 of the print head 10 while moving the print head 10 in the main scanning direction. Thereby, printing of one scanning line is performed. When the print head 10 is moved in the main scanning direction, the feed motor 61 is driven to transport the medium 50 in the sub scanning direction to the position of the next scanning line. When the conveyance of the medium 50 in the sub-scanning direction is completed, the scan motor 62 is driven again and the print head 10 is driven to print the next scan line. Thereafter, the same operation is repeated until the end of printing.

  The cutting control unit 90 performs cutting. The cutting control unit 90 drives the scan motor 62 and the feed motor 61 to move the cutting head 20 relative to the medium 50 in a two-dimensional manner. When the solenoid 22 is turned on, the cutter 23 can be pressed against the medium 50. By moving the cutting head 20 relative to the medium 50 while pressing the cutter 23 against the medium 50, the medium 50 can be cut along an arbitrary cut line.

  The print control unit 80 includes an image printing unit 81, a main crop mark printing unit 82, and an auxiliary crop mark printing unit 83. The cutting control unit 90 includes a positioning control unit 91 and a cutting unit 92. The positioning control unit 91 includes a high quality mode setting unit 91a, a standard mode setting unit 91b, and a high speed mode setting unit 91c. Operations performed by the above-described units will be described later.

  Next, an example of the operation of the cutting apparatus 1 will be described. Here, as shown in FIG. 5, an operation in which the cutting apparatus 1 prints a plurality of images 33 on the medium 50 and further cuts the periphery of each image 33 will be described. A broken line indicated by reference numeral 34 represents a cut line cut by the cutting head 20. The “image” is an image formed on the medium 50 by the print head 10, and the content thereof is not particularly limited. The image includes characters, symbols, figures, photographs, and the like. Here, it is assumed that four images 33 are printed in the main scanning direction and five images 33 are printed in the sub-scanning direction on one medium 50. In the following, the four images 33 arranged in the main scanning direction will be referred to as the first image 33A, the second image 33B, the third image 33C, in order from the front to the rear of the medium 50. It will be referred to as an image 33D on the fourth line and an image 33E on the fifth line.

  First, image data is transmitted from the computer 70 to the controller 60. Then, the print control unit 80 prints the image 33 and also prints the main crop marks C1 to C4 and the auxiliary crop marks C11 to C30. In addition, the upper part and the lower part of FIG. 5 represent the front and back, respectively. In the cutting apparatus 1, printing is performed while the medium 50 is conveyed forward. Therefore, printing is performed from the top to the bottom in FIG.

  The main crop marks C1 to C4 are crop marks that are printed outside the four corners of the rectangular area 33W including all the images 33 (here, 20 images). Here, the main crop marks C1, C2, C3, and C4 are printed on the rectangular area 33W in the upper left direction, the upper right direction, the lower left direction, and the lower right direction in FIG. The main crop mark C2 is separated from the main crop mark C1 in the main scanning direction. The main crop mark C3 is separated from the main crop mark C1 in the sub-scanning direction. The main crop mark C4 is separated from the main crop mark C2 in the sub-scanning direction, and is separated from the main crop mark C3 in the main scanning direction.

  The auxiliary crop marks C11 to C20 are crop marks printed between the main crop mark C1 and the main crop mark C3. The auxiliary crop marks C21 to C30 are crop marks printed between the main crop mark C2 and the main crop mark C4. The auxiliary crop marks C11 to C20 are printed on the left outside of the rectangular area 33W in FIG. 5, and the auxiliary crop marks C21 to C30 are printed on the right outside of the rectangular area 33W in FIG. The main crop mark C1, the auxiliary crop marks C11 to C20, and the main crop mark C3 are arranged in a line in the sub-scanning direction. The main crop mark C2, the auxiliary crop marks C21 to C30, and the main crop mark C4 are arranged in a line in the sub-scanning direction.

  The main crop marks C1 to C4 and the auxiliary crop marks C11 to C30 are all formed by black circles. However, the shapes of the main crop marks C1 to C4 and the auxiliary crop marks C11 to C30 are not limited to circles, and the color is not limited to black. In this embodiment, the dimensions of the main crop marks C1 to C4 and the auxiliary crop marks C11 to C30 are the same. However, some of the main crop marks C1 to C4 and the auxiliary crop marks C11 to C30 may be different in shape or size from other parts.

  In the present embodiment, the distance between the centers of two crop marks adjacent in the sub-scanning direction among the main crop marks C1 to C4 and the auxiliary crop marks C11 to C30 is set to a constant value P. Here, P is set to 100 mm. For example, the distance between the centers of the main crop mark C1 and the auxiliary crop mark C11 is 100 mm, and the distance between the centers of the auxiliary crop mark C11 and the auxiliary crop mark C12 is 100 mm. The distance between the centers of two crop marks adjacent in the sub-scanning direction can be restated as the pitch of the crop marks in the sub-scanning direction.

  The controller 60 functions as the image printing unit 81 when printing the image 33, functions as the main crop mark printing unit 82 when printing the main crop marks C1 to C4, and prints the auxiliary crop marks C11 to C30. Functions as an auxiliary crop mark printing unit 83. The image 33 is printed by the image printing unit 81, the main crop marks C1 to C4 are printed by the main crop mark printing unit 82, and the auxiliary crop marks C11 to C30 are printed by the auxiliary crop mark printing unit 83. . In the present embodiment, the image 33, the main crop marks C1 to C4, and the auxiliary crop marks C11 to C30 are printed in order from the front to the rear of the medium.

  After the printing of the image 33, the main crop marks C1 to C4, and the auxiliary crop marks C11 to C30 is completed, the medium 50 is cut along the cut line 34. In the present embodiment, in order to sufficiently dry the printed medium 50, after the printing is completed, the portion of the medium 50 behind the main crop marks C3 and C4 is cut along the main scanning direction. Then, the medium 50 is taken out from the cutting device 1 and dried outside the cutting device 1. After the drying is completed, the medium 50 is rearranged on the platen 2 of the cutting apparatus 1 and cutting is started. However, it is of course possible to start cutting without removing the medium 50 from the cutting apparatus 1 after the printing is completed.

  By the way, the cutting control unit 90 grasps the error of the feed motor 61, the dimensional error of the grid roller 3, the slip of the grid roller 3 with respect to the medium 50, the position error when the medium 50 is rearranged on the platen 2, and the like. There may be a deviation between the relative position of the cutting head 20 with respect to the medium 50 (hereinafter simply referred to as position) and the actual position of the cutting head 20. Therefore, when cutting, the cutting head 20 is positioned prior to cutting the cut line 34.

  In this embodiment, a plurality of modes with different positioning accuracy are prepared as cutting modes. Specifically, three types of modes are prepared: a high speed mode, a standard mode, and a high quality mode. The high-speed mode is a mode in which the positioning accuracy of the cutting head 20 is lower than that in the standard mode, but the correction of the cutting position is less frequent than in the standard mode, and high-speed cutting is possible. Although the high quality mode is slower than the standard mode, the cutting position is corrected more frequently than the standard mode, and the positioning accuracy of the cutting head 20 is high. The user can freely select a mode by operating the operation panel 35 or the input device 71 of the computer 70. In response to a user operation, the high quality mode setting unit 91a sets the high quality mode, the standard mode setting unit 91b sets the standard mode, or the high speed mode setting unit 91c sets the high speed mode. For example, when the medium 50 is slippery with respect to the grid roller 3, it is possible to perform cutting with higher accuracy by selecting the high quality mode. For example, when the medium 50 is a medium that is difficult to slip with respect to the grid roller 3, the cutting can be completed in a shorter time by selecting the high speed mode. In the case where the medium 50 is slippery with respect to the grid roller 3, the cutting quality can be improved by selecting the high quality mode.

  The cutting head 20 is positioned using three or more of the main crop marks C1 to C4 and the auxiliary crop marks C11 to C20. The high-speed mode is a mode that uses fewer crop marks than the standard mode. The high quality mode is a mode that uses more crop marks than the standard mode. In this embodiment and other embodiments described later, in any of the modes, an image 33 that completely falls within a square or rectangular area defined by three or more crop marks to be used is set as a cutting target. To do. However, the selection of the image 33 to be cut is not limited to this. For example, an image 33 included in a square or rectangular area defined by three or more crop marks to be used may be included in a predetermined ratio or more (for example, 60% or more) as a cutting target.

In this embodiment, in the standard mode, a crop mark having a distance of 500 mm between the centers in the sub-scanning direction is used. When the distance in the sub-scanning direction between the centers of the crop marks used in the standard mode is n ₂ × P (where n ₂ is a natural number), n ₂ = 5 is set in this embodiment. Specifically, first, the cutting head 20 is positioned using the main crop mark C1, the main crop mark C2, the auxiliary crop mark C15, and the auxiliary crop mark C25, and then the images 33A and 2 in the first row are displayed. The cut line 34 of the image 33B on the line is cut. Next, the cutting head 20 is positioned using the auxiliary crop mark C14, the auxiliary crop mark C24, the auxiliary crop mark C19, and the auxiliary crop mark C29, and then the third row image 33C and the fourth row image 33D. The cut line 34 is cut. Finally, the cutting head 20 is positioned using the auxiliary crop mark C16, the auxiliary crop mark C26, the main crop mark C3, and the main crop mark C4, and then the cut line 34 of the image 33E in the fifth row is cut. .

In the high-speed mode, only the main crop marks C1 to C4 are used. When the distance in the sub-scanning direction between the centers of the crop marks used in the high-speed mode is n ₃ × P (where n ₃ is a natural number larger than n ₂ ), in this embodiment, n ₃ = 11 is set. ing. Specifically, first, the cutting head 20 is positioned using the main crop marks C1 to C4, and then the cut lines 34 of the entire image 33 are cut.

In the high quality mode, a crop mark having a distance of 300 mm between the centers in the sub-scanning direction is used. When the distance in the sub-scanning direction between the centers of the crop marks used in the high quality mode is n ₁ × P (where n ₁ is a natural number smaller than n ₂ ), in this embodiment, n ₁ = 3 is set. Has been. Specifically, first, the cutting head 20 is positioned using the main crop mark C1, the main crop mark C2, the auxiliary crop mark C13, and the auxiliary crop mark C23, and then each image 33A in the first row is displayed. Cut the cut line 34. Next, the cutting head 20 is positioned using the auxiliary crop mark C12, the auxiliary crop mark C22, the auxiliary crop mark C15, and the auxiliary crop mark C25, and then the cut line 34 of each image 33B in the second row is cut. To do. Next, the cutting head 20 is positioned using the auxiliary crop mark C14, the auxiliary crop mark C24, the auxiliary crop mark C17, and the auxiliary crop mark C27, and then the cut line 34 of each image 33C in the third row is cut. To do. Next, the cutting head 20 is positioned using the auxiliary crop mark C16, the auxiliary crop mark C26, the auxiliary crop mark C19, and the auxiliary crop mark C29, and then the cut line 34 of each image 33D in the fourth row is cut. To do. Finally, the cutting head 20 is positioned using the auxiliary crop mark C18, the auxiliary crop mark C28, the main crop mark C3, and the main crop mark C4, and then the cut line 34 of each image 33E in the fifth row is cut. To do.

  Since a method for detecting the position of the crop mark by the sensor 25 and positioning the cutting head 20 using the detected four crop marks is well known, a detailed description thereof is omitted here.

  As described above, according to the cutting device 1 according to the present embodiment, the cutting head 20 can be positioned using the main crop marks C1 to C4 and the auxiliary crop marks C11 to C30. Therefore, it is possible to shorten the cutting time compared to the case where crop marks are printed at the four corners of each image 33 and the position of the crop mark is detected for each image 33 at the time of cutting. Further, in the standard mode and the high quality mode, the cutting head 20 can be positioned using the auxiliary crop marks C11 to C30 in addition to the main crop marks C1 to C4. Therefore, cutting accuracy can be improved as compared with the case where the cutting head 20 is positioned using only the main crop marks C1 to C4 as in the high-speed mode. Therefore, according to the cutting apparatus 1 which concerns on this embodiment, shortening of cutting time and the improvement of the precision of cutting can be made to balance and balance.

  Moreover, according to the cutting apparatus 1 which concerns on this embodiment, three modes from which cutting time and cutting accuracy differ, ie, a high speed mode, a standard mode, and a high quality mode, can be selected. The mode can be freely selected according to the characteristics of the medium 50. For example, when the medium 50 in which the position of the cutting head 20 is easily displaced is used, high-precision positioning can be performed by selecting the high quality mode. When using the medium 50 in which the position of the cutting head 20 is not easily displaced, the cutting time can be shortened by selecting the high speed mode. Therefore, according to the characteristics of the medium 50 and the like, it is possible to achieve a balance between shortening the cutting time and improving the cutting accuracy.

(Second Embodiment)
The cutting apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment predicts the degree of positional deviation of the cutting head 20 using the main crop marks C1 to C4, and when the degree of positional deviation is predicted to be large, the positioning accuracy Is automatically increased. Here, the standard mode of the first embodiment will be described as an example.

  In the present embodiment, at the time of cutting, first, the positions of the main crop marks C1 to C4 are detected. First, the positions of the main crop marks C1 and C2 are detected. Next, after the grid roller 3 is rotated and the medium 50 is conveyed in the sub-scanning direction, the positions of the main crop marks C3 and C4 are detected. Based on the detection result, a distance L1 between the centers of the main crop marks C1 and C3 and a distance L2 between the centers of the main crop marks C2 and C4 are calculated. By the way, the main crop marks C1 and C3 are printed at positions where the distance between the centers in the sub-scanning direction becomes a preset setting value L0 (= 1100 mm), and the main crop marks C2 and C4 are also printed in the sub-scanning direction between the centers. Is printed at a position where the distance becomes the set value L0. Therefore, the actual distance between the centers of the main crop marks C1 and C3 and the actual distance between the centers of the main crop marks C2 and C4 are set values L0. However, for example, when the grid roller 3 slides with respect to the medium 50 while the medium 50 is being conveyed in the sub-scanning direction, the distance L1 or L2 calculated based on the detection results of the main crop marks C1 to C4 is obtained. It will deviate from the set value L0. When there is a large deviation between the distances L1 and L2 calculated based on the detection of the main crop marks C1 to C4 and the set value L0, the position of the cutting head 20 during cutting is maintained in the standard mode. It is predicted that the amount of deviation will increase. When such a medium 50 is used, it is desirable to increase the positioning accuracy of the cutting head 20.

  In the cutting apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the positioning control unit 91 includes a determination unit 95 and a mode setting change unit 96 as shown in FIG. The determination unit 95 determines the difference between the distance L1 between the center of the main crop mark C1 and the center of the main crop mark C3, or the distance L2 between the center of the main crop mark C2 and the center of the main crop mark C4, and the set value L0. Is determined so as to determine whether or not the absolute value thereof is greater than or equal to a threshold value ΔL. That is, the determination unit 95 determines whether or not a condition of | L1-L0 | ≧ ΔL or | L2-L0 | ≧ ΔL is satisfied.

  The mode setting change unit 96 changes the setting of the standard mode setting unit 91b when the determination unit 95 determines that the above condition is satisfied. When n is a natural number and m is a natural number smaller than n, the mode setting changing unit 96 sets a setting to use a crop mark whose distance between the centers in the sub-scanning direction is n × P. The setting is changed to use a crop mark whose distance in the scanning direction is (nm) × P. That is, the crop mark to be used is changed so that the distance in the sub-scanning direction between the centers of the crop marks to be used becomes small. Here, n = 5 and m = 1, and the mode setting changing unit 96 sets the use of a crop mark in which the distance between the centers in the sub-scanning direction is 500 mm. The setting is changed to use a crop mark of 400 mm. Here, the setting is changed so that the distance is reduced by 100 mm from before the change, but the difference in numerical values before and after the change is not particularly limited, and is of course not limited to 100 mm.

  For example, it is assumed that the threshold ΔL is set to 1 mm and the distance L1 between the detected center of the main crop mark C1 and the center of the main crop mark C3 is 1098 mm. In this case, since | L1-L0 | = | 1098-1100 | mm = 2 mm, | L1-L0 | ≧ ΔL. Therefore, in the standard mode, the distance in the sub-scanning direction between the centers of the crop marks to be used is changed from 500 mm to 400 mm.

  As a result, at the time of cutting, first, the cutting head 20 is positioned using the main crop mark C1, the main crop mark C2, the auxiliary crop mark C14, and the auxiliary crop mark C24. The cut line 34 of 33A is cut. Next, the cutting head 20 is positioned using the auxiliary crop mark C12, the auxiliary crop mark C22, the auxiliary crop mark C16, and the auxiliary crop mark C26, and the cutting line 34 of each image 33B in the second row is cut. Done. Next, the cutting head 20 is positioned using the auxiliary crop mark C14, the auxiliary crop mark C24, the auxiliary crop mark C18, and the auxiliary crop mark C28, and the cut line 34 of each image 33C in the third row is cut. Done. Next, the cutting head 20 is positioned using the auxiliary crop mark C16, the auxiliary crop mark C26, the auxiliary crop mark C20, and the auxiliary crop mark C30, and the cut line 34 of each image 33D in the fourth row is cut. Done. Finally, the cutting head 20 is positioned using the auxiliary crop mark C17, the auxiliary crop mark C27, the main crop mark C3, and the main crop mark C4, and the cut line 34 of each image 33E in the fifth row is cut. Done.

  According to the present embodiment, the degree of positional deviation of the cutting head 20 can be predicted based on the detection of the main crop marks C1 to C4, and positioning accuracy is predicted when the degree of positional deviation is predicted to be large. Can be increased automatically. Therefore, even when the medium 50 is actually more slippery than the user thinks, the cutting head 20 can be positioned with appropriate accuracy. According to the present embodiment, according to the characteristics of the medium 50 and the like, it is possible to automatically reduce the cutting time and improve the cutting accuracy in a well-balanced manner.

In the above embodiment, the degree of positional deviation of the cutting head 20 is predicted based on the detection of the main crop marks C1 to C4, and the positioning accuracy is automatically increased when the degree of positional deviation is predicted to be large. On the contrary, when it is predicted that the amount of positional deviation is small, the cutting time may be automatically shortened. For example, the determination unit 95 may determine whether the conditions | L1-L0 | ≦ ΔL _min and | L2-L0 | ≦ ΔL _min are satisfied when ΔL _min is an allowable error. Good. The mode setting change unit 96 may change the crop mark to be used so that the distance in the sub-scanning direction between the centers of the crop marks to be used increases when the determination unit 95 determines that the above condition is satisfied. Good. For example, the mode setting changing unit 96 uses a crop mark in which the distance between the centers in the sub-scanning direction is n × P. The setting may be changed to use (where q is a natural number). Thereby, when the medium 50 is actually less slippery than the user thinks, the cutting time can be shortened while maintaining an appropriate cutting accuracy.

  In the embodiment described above, the detection positions of the main crop marks C1 to C4 are used for predicting the degree of positional deviation of the cutting head 20. However, other crop marks can be used. For example, the degree of positional deviation of the cutting head 20 may be predicted based on the detection positions of the auxiliary crop marks C11, C21, C20, and C30.

(Third embodiment)
In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the main crop marks C1 to C4 and the auxiliary crop marks C11 to C30 are printed at the time of printing, and a part of them is used at the time of cutting. However, the mode may be selected before printing, and only necessary ones of the main crop marks C1 to C4 and the auxiliary crop marks C11 to C30 may be printed. In the third embodiment, only necessary crop marks are printed.

  For example, assume that the standard mode is selected before printing. In this case, as described above, the crop marks used for cutting are the main crop marks C1 to C4, the auxiliary crop marks C14, C15, C16, C19, C24, C25, C26, and C29. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, the main crop marks C1 to C4 and the auxiliary crop marks C14, C15, C16, C19, C24, C25, C26, and C29 are printed together with the image 33 at the time of printing.

  Similarly, when the high speed mode is selected before printing, only the main crop marks C1 to C4 are printed together with the image 33 at the time of printing. Then, when cutting, the cutting head 20 is positioned using the main crop marks C1 to C4.

  When the high quality mode is selected before printing, the main crop marks C1 to C4, the auxiliary crop marks C12 to C19, and C22 to C29 are printed together with the image 33 at the time of printing. Then, at the time of cutting, the cutting head 20 is positioned using the main crop marks C1 to C4, the auxiliary crop marks C12 to C19, and C22 to C29.

  According to the present embodiment, since only the minimum crop marks necessary for printing are printed, it is possible to reduce the ink consumption and the printing time.

(Fourth embodiment)
The distance between the centers of the crop marks in the sub-scanning direction or the number of images surrounded by the four crop marks may be set by the user.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 8, an image 101 for setting the distance in the sub-scanning direction between the centers of the crop marks (hereinafter also referred to as the print length) is displayed on the operation panel 35 or the display device 72 of the computer 70. The user may be able to input a numerical value of the print length by operating the operation panel 35 or the input device 71 of the computer 70. In the example shown in FIG. 8, the print length is set to 600 mm.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9, an image 102 for setting the number of images 33 surrounded by four crop marks (hereinafter also referred to as the number of data) is displayed on the operation panel 35 or the display device 72 of the computer 70. Then, the user may be able to input the number of data by operating the operation panel 35 or the input device 71 of the computer 70. In the example shown in FIG. 9, the number of data is set to eight.

  According to the present embodiment, according to the user's desire, it is possible to achieve both a reduction in cutting time and an improvement in cutting accuracy in a balanced manner.

(Other embodiments)
In the embodiment, the cutting apparatus 1 includes the printing head 10 together with the cutting head 20 and is a cutting apparatus having a printing function. However, the cutting apparatus according to the present invention may be a cutting apparatus that does not include the print head 10. The cutting device according to the present invention may be a cutting device that does not have a printing function. In this case, the image and the crop mark are printed by a printing device different from the cutting device. The cutting device performs cutting on the medium printed by the printing device.

  In the embodiment described above, the cutting apparatus 1 is configured to move the print head 10 and the cutting head 20 in the main scanning direction and transport the medium 50 in the sub scanning direction. However, the cutting apparatus 1 only needs to be configured so that the print head 10 and the cutting head 20 can be two-dimensionally moved relative to the medium 50. It may be configured to move in the scanning direction. For example, the cutting apparatus 1 has a flat bed that supports the medium 50, a guide rail that supports the print head 10 and the cutting head 20 so as to be movable in the main scanning direction, and drives the printing head 10 and the cutting head 20 in the main scanning direction. And a driving device such as a motor that drives the guide rail in the sub-scanning direction, and a rail that supports the guide rail so as to be movable in the sub-scanning direction.

1 Cutting device 2 Platen (support)
3 Grid roller 4 Pinch roller 5 Guide rail 10 Print head 20 Cutting head 25 Sensor (Crop mark detection device)
33 Image 34 Cut line 50 Medium 60 Controller 80 Print control unit (print control device)
81 Image printing unit 82 Main crop mark printing unit 83 Auxiliary crop mark printing unit 90 Cutting control unit (cutting control device)
91 Positioning control unit C1 Main crop mark (first main crop mark)
C2 main crop mark (second main crop mark)
C3 main crop mark (third main crop mark)
C4 main crop mark (4th main crop mark)
C11-C30 Auxiliary crop mark

Claims (11)

A support for supporting the medium;
A print head for printing on the medium supported by the support;
A cutting head for cutting the medium supported by the support base;
A first moving mechanism that moves the print head in a main scanning direction that is the width direction of the medium during printing, and moves the cutting head in the main scanning direction during cutting;
The medium supported by the support table during printing is moved relative to the print head in the sub-scanning direction, which is the longitudinal direction of the medium, and the medium supported by the support table during cutting is moved to the cutting head. A second moving mechanism that moves relative to the sub-scanning direction,
A print control device that prints a plurality of images and a plurality of crop marks on the medium by controlling the print head, the first movement mechanism, and the second movement mechanism;
A cutting control device for cutting the medium by controlling the cutting head, the first moving mechanism, and the second moving mechanism;
A crop mark detection device for detecting the position of the crop mark,
The plurality of images include two or more images having different positions in the sub-scanning direction,
The print control device includes:
A first main crop mark positioned outside one of the four corners of a rectangular area including all of the plurality of images on the medium; and the first main crop mark positioned outside the other one of the four corners. A second main crop mark spaced from the mark in the main scanning direction; and a third main crop mark located outside the other one of the four corners and spaced from the first main crop mark in the sub-scanning direction; A fourth main crop mark located outside the other one of the four corners, spaced from the second main crop mark in the sub-scanning direction and spaced from the third main crop mark in the main scanning direction; A main crop mark printing section for printing,
One or more auxiliary crop marks in the medium between the first main crop mark and the third main crop mark and between the second main crop mark and the fourth main crop mark. An auxiliary crop mark printing section for printing
The cutting control device is configured to control the cutting head based on three or more positions of the first to fourth main crop marks and the auxiliary crop marks detected by the crop mark detection device at the time of cutting. A cutting apparatus having a positioning control unit for performing positioning. A support for supporting a medium on which a plurality of images and a plurality of crop marks are printed;
A cutting head for cutting the medium supported by the support base;
A first moving mechanism for moving the cutting head in a main scanning direction which is a width direction of the medium;
A second moving mechanism for moving the medium supported by the support base relative to the cutting head in a sub-scanning direction which is a longitudinal direction of the medium;
A cutting control device for cutting the medium by controlling the cutting head, the first moving mechanism, and the second moving mechanism;
A crop mark detection device for detecting the position of the crop mark,
The plurality of images include two or more images having different positions in the sub-scanning direction,
The plurality of crop marks include a first main crop mark located outside one of the four corners of a rectangular area including all of the plurality of images on the medium and the other one outside the four corners. A second main crop mark that is positioned and spaced apart from the first main crop mark in the main scanning direction, and is positioned outside the other one of the four corners, and from the first main crop mark in the sub-scanning direction. A third main crop mark that is spaced apart and located outside the other one of the four corners, spaced from the second main crop mark in the sub-scanning direction, and from the third main crop mark in the main scanning direction A fourth main crop mark spaced apart,
The plurality of crop marks are further printed between the first main crop mark and the third main crop mark on the medium and between the second main crop mark and the fourth main crop mark. Contains one or more auxiliary crop marks,
The cutting control device is configured to control the cutting head based on three or more positions of the first to fourth main crop marks and the auxiliary crop marks detected by the crop mark detection device at the time of cutting. A cutting apparatus having a positioning control unit for performing positioning.   The first to fourth main crop marks and the auxiliary crop marks are arranged such that a distance between centers of adjacent crop marks in the sub-scanning direction is a constant value. Cutting device. The positioning control unit
When the distance between the centers of the crop marks adjacent in the sub-scanning direction is P and n is a natural number of 2 or more, the cutting head is positioned every n × P in the sub-scanning direction. Mode setting section,
The distance between the center of the first main crop mark and the center of the third main crop mark detected by the crop mark detection device when m is a natural number smaller than n, or the second main crop mark A determination unit that determines whether an absolute value of a difference between a center of the fourth main crop mark and a center of the fourth main crop mark is greater than or equal to a threshold value;
When the determination unit determines that the absolute value of the difference is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the mode setting change unit changes the setting so that the cutting head is positioned every (n−m) × P with respect to the sub-scanning direction. The cutting apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising: The positioning control unit
When the distance between the centers of the crop marks adjacent in the sub-scanning direction is P and n is a natural number of 2 or more, the cutting head is positioned every n × P in the sub-scanning direction. Mode setting section,
When m is a natural number smaller than n, the absolute difference between the distance between the centers of two crop marks that are separated from each other in the sub-scanning direction, detected by the crop mark detection device, and a preset setting value A determination unit for determining whether the value is equal to or greater than a threshold;
When the determination unit determines that the absolute value of the difference is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the mode setting change unit changes the setting so that the cutting head is positioned every (n−m) × P with respect to the sub-scanning direction. The cutting apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising: The positioning control unit
The distance between the centers of the crop marks adjacent to the sub-scanning direction is P, when the n ₁ is a natural number, which is set to perform positioning of the cutting head n ₁ × every P with respect to the subscanning direction A first mode setting unit;
a second mode setting unit set to position the cutting head every n ₂ × P with respect to the sub-scanning direction when n ₂ is a natural number larger than n ₁ ; The cutting apparatus as described in any one of Claims 3-5. The positioning control unit
_{3. A} third setting unit set to position the cutting head every n ₃ × P with respect to the sub-scanning direction when n ₃ is a natural number larger than n _2. 6. The cutting device according to 6. The plurality of images include a first image and a second image located on one side in the sub-scanning direction with respect to the first image,
The auxiliary crop mark includes a first auxiliary crop mark positioned on one side of the first image in the main scanning direction and a second auxiliary crop mark positioned on one side of the sub scanning direction with respect to the first auxiliary crop mark. Including auxiliary crop marks,
The positioning control unit positions the cutting head based on at least the position of the second auxiliary crop mark when cutting the first image, and at least the first image when cutting the second image. The cutting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cutting head is configured to position the cutting head based on a position of an auxiliary crop mark. An input device for inputting a distance between centers of crop marks adjacent in the sub-scanning direction;
In the auxiliary crop mark printing unit, the distance between the centers of the crop marks adjacent to each other in the sub-scanning direction among the first to fourth main crop marks and the auxiliary crop mark is the distance input to the input device. The cutting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cutting apparatus is configured to print the auxiliary crop mark. An input device for inputting the number of images positioned between two crop marks adjacent in the sub-scanning direction;
The auxiliary crop mark printing unit prints the auxiliary crop mark so that the number of images positioned between two crop marks adjacent in the sub-scanning direction is the number input to the input device. The cutting device according to claim 1, which is configured as follows. Printing a plurality of images including two or more images arranged in a sub-scanning direction, which is a longitudinal direction of the medium, on the medium;
A first main crop mark positioned outside one of the four corners of a rectangular area including all of the plurality of images on the medium; and the first main crop mark positioned outside the other one of the four corners. A second main crop mark spaced from the mark in the main scanning direction; and a third main crop mark located outside the other one of the four corners and spaced from the first main crop mark in the sub-scanning direction; A fourth main crop mark located outside the other one of the four corners, spaced from the second main crop mark in the sub-scanning direction and spaced from the third main crop mark in the main scanning direction; Printing,
One or more auxiliary crop marks in the medium between the first main crop mark and the third main crop mark and between the second main crop mark and the fourth main crop mark. Printing process,
A step of detecting three or more positions of the first to fourth main crop marks and the auxiliary crop marks by a crop mark detection device;
Positioning the cutting head based on the positions of the first to fourth main crop marks and the auxiliary crop marks detected by the crop mark detection device;
Cutting the medium along a cut line set for each of the plurality of images by the positioned cutting head;
Including cutting method.

Images