JP2018144200A - Cutter and printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To cut a roll sheet accurately.SOLUTION: A cutter according to an embodiment cuts a recording medium which moves in a direction of a first axis and includes a fixed blade and a movable blade. The fixed blade is disposed along a first surface including the first axis. The movable blade is disposed along a second surface intersecting with the first surface and slides relative to the fixed blade along the second surface so as to intersect with the first surface.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to a cutter and a printer.

  A receipt printer used for a POS (point-of-sales) terminal prints the price or store name of a purchased product on roll paper, separates the printed portion, and discharges it as a receipt or a receipt. For cutting the roll paper used for the receipt, for example, a guillotine cutter having a fixed blade and a movable blade that slides with respect to the fixed blade is used. In this type of cutter, a single-cutting blade whose one surface is a flat surface is used as a fixed blade. When the roll paper is cut, the movable blade slides along the flat surface of the fixed blade.

  The fixed blade is manufactured, for example, by quenching a member cut out from a metal plate such as iron. For this reason, the completed fixed blade may be slightly bent or distorted. In this case, when the roll paper is cut, a gap may be formed between the fixed blade and the movable blade, and the roll paper may not be cut well.

JP 2013-123783 A

  An object of the present invention is to accurately cut roll paper.

  In order to solve the above problems, a cutter according to the present embodiment is a cutter that cuts a recording medium that moves in the first axis direction, and includes a fixed blade and a movable blade. The fixed blade is disposed along a first surface including the first axis. The movable blade is disposed along a second surface that intersects the first surface, and slides relative to the fixed blade along the second surface so as to intersect the first surface.

1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a receipt printer according to an embodiment. It is a perspective view of a cutter. It is a figure which shows the XZ cross section of a cutter. It is an expansion | deployment perspective view of a casing. It is a perspective view of a movable unit. It is an expansion | deployment perspective view of a movable unit. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of a flame | frame and a movable unit. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement of a cutter. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement of a cutter. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement of a movable blade. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement of a movable blade. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement of a movable blade. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement of a movable blade. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement of a movable blade. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement of a movable blade. It is a block diagram of a control apparatus. It is a figure for demonstrating the effect of this embodiment.

  Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description, an XYZ coordinate system including an X axis, a Y axis, and a Z axis that are orthogonal to each other is used as appropriate.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a receipt printer 10 according to the present embodiment. The receipt printer 10 is, for example, a thermal printer that is connected to a POS terminal and prints a receipt or a receipt. As shown in FIG. 1, the receipt printer 10 includes a hopper 21, a rotating roller 22, a thermal head 23, a platen roller 24, a cutter 25, a control device 100, and a housing 20 that houses the above-described units.

  The housing 20 is a casing made of, for example, resin, and has a discharge port 20a for discharging a receipt at the −X side end.

  The hopper 21 rotatably holds a roll paper 200 that serves as a receipt. In the receipt printer 10, for example, a direct thermal roll paper including a base material and a thermal layer formed on the surface of the base material is used.

  The rotating roller 22 is a driven roller for eliminating roll paper curl. The rotating roller 22 presses the roll paper 200 from above, thereby curving the roll paper 200 so as to protrude downward, thereby eliminating curling.

  The thermal head 23 is a head for printing on the roll paper 200. The thermal head 23 includes a heating element arranged in a matrix on the lower surface. The platen roller 24 presses the roll paper 200 against the thermal head 23 and sends the roll paper 200 to the discharge port 20 a formed in the housing 20.

  By cooperation of the thermal head 23 and the platen roller 24, information such as the price of the product is printed on the roll paper 200. Specifically, as the platen roller 24 rotates, the roll paper 200 is sent toward the discharge port 20a while being pressed by the thermal head 23. At this time, the thermal head 23 selectively heats the heating element according to information to be printed on the roll paper 200. As a result, printing on the roll paper 200 is realized.

  The cutter 25 cuts out the roll paper 200 discharged from the discharge port 20a as a receipt or a receipt after printing is finished.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cutter 25. The cutter 25 is a unit for cutting the roll paper 200 that is fed in the X-axis direction through the opening 32 d provided in the casing 30. FIG. 3 is a view showing an XZ section of the cutter 25. As shown in FIG. 3, the cutter 25 includes a casing 30, a fixed blade 71, a movable blade 72, a moving unit 40 that reciprocates with respect to the fixed blade 71, a driving device 33 that drives the moving unit 40, and the like. Yes.

  FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the casing 30. As shown in FIG. 4, the casing 30 includes a frame 32 having a square plate shape in which an opening 32 d is formed, and an accommodation cover 31 integrated with the frame 32.

  The frame 32 is made of a metal such as iron or stainless steel, or a resin. The frame 32 has a square frame-shaped frame portion 32a, a side wall 32b positioned below the opening 32d, a side wall 32c positioned above the opening 32d, and a support extending in the + X direction from the −Z side end of the side wall 32c. 4 parts of the part 32f.

  Two openings 32e are provided in the side wall 32b. Further, the support portion 32f is perpendicular to the side walls 32b and 32c, and as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the fixed blade 71 is attached to the lower surface (the surface on the −Z side).

  The fixed blade 71 is a single-cut blade whose longitudinal direction is the Y-axis direction and the surface on the −Z side is a flat surface. As shown in FIG. 3, the fixed blade 71 is attached to the lower surface of the support portion 32 f so that the blade edge protrudes from the opening portion 32 d into the frame 32. In the cutter 25, the cutting edge of the fixed blade 71 is inclined about 1 degree with respect to the Y axis. The reason will be described later. For example, a bolt or a screw is used to attach the fixed blade 71 to the support portion 32f.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the housing cover 31 is a rectangular parallelepiped housing cover whose longitudinal direction is the Y-axis direction. The housing cover 31 is open on the + X side and is fixed to the lower end of the frame 32. By integrating the frame 32 and the housing cover 31, as shown in FIG. 3, a space for housing the driving device 33 and the moving unit 40 is formed in the casing 30.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the moving unit 40. The moving unit 40 is a unit that supports the movable blade 72 and reciprocates along the Z axis inside the casing 30. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the moving unit 40. As shown in FIG. 6, the moving unit 40 includes a bracket 60 that supports the movable blade 72 and a base 50 to which the bracket 60 is fixed.

  The bracket 60 is a member made of iron or stainless steel as a material and having the longitudinal direction as the Y-axis direction. A pair of projecting portions 61 projecting in the + Z direction and a pair of projecting portions 62 projecting in the −Z direction are provided at both ends of the bracket 60 in the Y-axis direction. A long hole 63 whose longitudinal direction is the Z-axis direction is formed in the protrusion 62. Further, rectangular notches 64 are formed at both ends of the bracket 60 in the Y-axis direction, and a square opening 69 is formed at the center.

  A movable blade 72 is attached to the bracket 60. The movable blade 72 is a single-cut blade whose longitudinal direction is the Y-axis direction and the surface on the + X side is a flat surface. As shown in FIG. 5, the movable blade 72 is fixed to the surface (+ X side surface) of the bracket 60 so that the blade edge protrudes between the protrusions 61 of the bracket 60. In the moving unit 40, the cutting edge of the movable blade 72 forms an angle of about 5 degrees with respect to the Y axis. For mounting the movable blade 72 to the bracket 60, for example, a bolt or a screw is used.

  The base 50 is made of, for example, resin, iron, stainless steel, or the like. As shown in FIG. 6, the base 50 has a shape corresponding to the bracket 60. A pair of projecting portions 51 projecting in the + Z direction and a pair of projecting portions 52 projecting in the −Z direction are provided at both ends of the base 50 in the Y-axis direction. A long hole 53 whose longitudinal direction is the Z-axis direction is formed in the protruding portion 52. The size and shape of the long hole 53 are equal to the long hole 63 of the bracket 60. The base 50 is provided with a claw 54 that engages with the notch 64 of the bracket 60 and a fitting portion 58 that fits into the opening 69. The claw 54 is shaped so that the XZ cross section is L-shaped. The fitting portion 58 is shaped in a wedge shape in which the + Z side is an inclined surface and the −Z side is a surface parallel to the XY plane.

  Furthermore, the base 50 has a frame portion 57 and a pair of projecting portions 55. The frame part 57 is formed along both ends of the base 50 in the Y-axis direction and the outer edge on the −Z side. At the corners of the side surfaces on the + Y side and the −Y side of the frame portion 57, protruding portions 57 a that protrude outward are formed. In addition, a long hole 56 having a longitudinal direction as the Y-axis direction is formed in the base 50 along the frame portion 57 along the outer edge on the −Z side. Each of the pair of projecting portions 55 includes, for example, a plurality of (for example, four) plate-like portions that are shaped like a semicircle on the upper side and are arranged at equal intervals in the Y-axis direction.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the bracket 60 is fixed inside the frame portion 57. The bracket 60 is positioned with respect to the base 50 by engaging the notch portion 64 of the bracket 60 with the claw 54 of the base 50 and fitting the fitting portion 58 into the opening 69 of the bracket 60. When the bracket 60 is positioned on the base 50, the elongated hole 63 of the bracket 60 and the elongated hole 53 of the base 50 coincide with each other, and the elongated hole 56 of the base 50 does not interfere with the bracket 60. In addition, the movable blade 72 is in a state where the blade edge protrudes between the protruding portions 51 of the base 50.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the moving unit 40 is accommodated in the frame 32. When the moving unit 40 is accommodated in the frame 32, the protruding portion 55 of the base 50 comes into contact with the side wall 32 b constituting the frame 32. Further, the protruding portion 51 of the base 50 abuts on the side wall 32 c constituting the frame 32. As a result, the movable blade 72 is inclined with respect to the fixed blade 71.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a positional relationship between the frame 32 and the moving unit 40. As shown in FIG. 7, when the moving unit 40 is accommodated in the frame 32, the elongated hole 53 provided in the base 50 of the moving unit 40 and the opening 32 e provided in the frame 32 overlap each other.

As can be seen with reference to FIG. 3, the stoppers 74 are provided in the two openings 32 e formed in the frame 32 through the elongated holes 53 of the base 50 and the elongated holes 63 of the bracket 60. Each can be attached.

  The stopper 74 has a male threaded portion formed at the tip, and the male threaded portion is attached to the frame 32 by fitting into the opening 32 e of the frame 32. The moving unit 40 can reciprocate with respect to the frame 32 within a range in which the stopper 74 can relatively move inside the elongated holes 53 and 63 of the moving unit 40.

  Further, when the moving unit 40 is accommodated in the frame 32, as shown in FIG. 7, the protruding portion 57 a provided on the base 50 of the moving unit 40 is in contact with the frame portion 32 a of the frame 32. . Therefore, when the moving unit 40 moves with respect to the frame 32, the + Y side and −Y side frame portions 32a function as guides G1 and G2 for maintaining the posture of the base 50, and the protruding portions 57a Functions as a slider. The posture of the moving unit 40 around the X axis is maintained constant by the frame portion 32a that functions as the guides G1 and G2 and the protruding portion 57a that functions as a slider.

  When the moving unit 40 is accommodated in the frame 32, the accommodation cover 31 is attached to the frame 32 as shown in FIG. 3. Two springs 73 and a drive device 33 are accommodated inside the accommodation cover 31.

  The spring 73 is disposed so as to cover the −X side end of each stopper 74, and presses the base 50 constituting the moving unit 40 against the frame 32. As a result, the moving unit 40 can slide with respect to the frame 32 while being in close contact with the side walls 32b and 32c of the frame 32. Further, the moving unit 40 can change its posture by the expansion and contraction of the spring 73 when the movable blade 72 slides with respect to the fixed blade 71.

  The drive device 33 is a device for sliding the moving unit 40 along the frame 32. The drive device 33 includes, for example, a motor and a cam 34 (see FIG. 8) that is rotated by the motor.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the cam 34 is a circular plate-shaped member. The cam 34 has a cylindrical protrusion 34 a that protrudes in the X-axis direction and is inserted into the long hole 56 of the base 50. The drive device 33 rotates the cam 34 around an axis S1 parallel to the X axis. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8, between the standby position where the fixed blade 71 and the movable blade 72 are separated from each other and the cutting position where the fixed blade 71 and the movable blade 72 overlap as shown in FIG. 9. The moving unit 40 reciprocates.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a positional relationship between the fixed blade 71 and the movable blade 72 when viewed in the + X direction. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a positional relationship between the fixed blade 71 and the movable blade 72 when viewed in the + Z direction. 10 and 11 show the positional relationship between the fixed blade 71 and the movable blade 72 when the moving unit 40 is at the standby position furthest away from the fixed blade 71, as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the movable blade 72 is held in a state of being rotated about 5 degrees around the X axis. For this reason, the cutting edge of the movable blade 72 is inclined about 5 degrees with respect to the XY plane. The movable blade 72 moves in the direction indicated by the white arrow along the YX plane by the driving device 33. As shown in FIG. 11, the fixed blade 71 is inclined about 1 degree with respect to the YZ plane on which the movable blade 72 moves.

  Therefore, as can be seen by referring to FIGS. 10 and 11 together, the movable blade 72 is such that the −Y side end closest to the fixed blade 71 does not interfere with the fixed blade 71 unless the posture of the movable blade 72 changes. .

  When the moving unit 40 is moved in the direction indicated by the white arrow by the drive device 33, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the −Y side end of the fixed blade 71 and the −Y side end of the movable blade 72 are used. The part comes into contact. At this time, the −Y side end of the cutting edge of the movable blade 72 overlaps the fixed blade 71 without interfering with the fixed blade 71. From this state, when the moving unit 40 further moves in the direction indicated by the white arrow, the cutting edge of the movable blade 72 passes through the cutting edge of the fixed blade 71 as shown in FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 15, when the cutting edge of the movable blade 72 passes through the cutting edge of the fixed blade 71, the cutting edge and the lower surface of the movable blade 72 slide in close contact with the cutting edge of the fixed blade 71. Thereby, the roll paper 200 can be cut. The movable blade 72 that has moved to the cutting position shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 returns to the standby position, and thereafter, the drive device 33 reciprocates between the standby position and the cutting position.

  FIG. 16 is a block diagram of the control device 100. As shown in FIG. 16, the control device 100 is a computer having a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 100a, a main storage unit 100b, an auxiliary storage unit 100c, an interface unit 100e, and a system bus 100d that connects the above-described units.

  The CPU 100a reads and executes the program stored in the auxiliary storage unit 100c. Specific operations of the CPU 100a will be described later.

  The main storage unit 100b has a volatile memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory). The main storage unit 100b is used as a work area for the CPU 100a.

  The auxiliary storage unit 100c includes a nonvolatile memory such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), a magnetic disk, and a semiconductor memory. The auxiliary storage unit 100c stores programs executed by the CPU 100a, various parameters, and the like.

  The interface unit 100e includes a LAN interface, a serial interface, a parallel interface, an analog interface, and the like. The control device 100 is connected to external devices such as the thermal head 23, the platen roller 24, the cutter 25, and a POS terminal via the interface unit 100e.

  Print information is transmitted from the POS terminal to the receipt printer 10 configured as described above. The print information includes information indicating a product name and a price, information indicating a store name, a cashier, a date, and the like.

  When receiving the printing information, the control device 100 drives the platen roller 24 to move the roll paper 200 relative to the thermal head 23. At the same time, the control device 100 drives the thermal head 23 based on the print information and performs printing on the roll paper 200. By this operation, a product name, a product price, and the like are sequentially printed on the roll paper 200. When the printing based on the printing information is completed, the control device 100 moves the portion on which the roll paper 200 has been printed through the opening 32d provided in the casing 30 as indicated by the white arrow in FIG. , And sent out to the discharge port 20a along the XY plane. Then, the driving device 33 of the cutter 25 is driven to cut the roll paper 200.

  As described above, in the moving unit 40 according to this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the fixed blade 71 is disposed along the XY plane, and the movable blade 72 is along the YZ plane orthogonal to the XY plane. Arranged. For this reason, even if the fixed blade 71 is curved or distorted, it comes into close contact with the movable blade 72 without a gap.

  For example, when the fixed blade 71 and the movable blade 72 slide along the same surface as in the prior art, as shown in FIG. 17, if the fixed blade 71 is curved, There will be a gap between them. However, in the cutter 25 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the fixed blade 71 and the movable blade 72 are vertical. For this reason, even if the fixed blade 71 is curved or distorted, the movable blade 72 slides in close contact with the cutting edge of the fixed blade 71 as shown in FIG. Therefore, the roll paper 200 can be cut with high accuracy.

  10 and 11, the movable blade 72 is configured such that the −Y side end closest to the fixed blade 71 does not interfere with the fixed blade 71 unless the posture of the movable blade 72 is changed. For this reason, the movable blade 72 slides against the cutting edge of the fixed blade 71 while being pressed by the spring 73. Therefore, the movable blade 72 is in close contact with the cutting edge of the fixed blade 71, and the roll paper 200 can be cut with high accuracy.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited by the said embodiment. For example, in the above embodiment, the case where the fixed blade 71 is arranged on the XY plane and the movable blade 72 is arranged along the YZ plane orthogonal to the XY plane has been described. Not only this but the movable blade 72 should just be arrange | positioned along the surface which cross | intersects XY surface even if it is not orthogonal to YX surface. In short, the fixed blade 71 may be disposed along the roll paper 200 to be cut, and the movable blade 72 may move within a plane that intersects the roll paper 200.

  In the receipt printer 10 according to the above embodiment, the case where the cutter 25 is disposed so that the moving unit 40 reciprocates along the vertical axis (Z axis) has been described. Not limited to this, the cutter 25 may be arranged so that the moving unit 40 moves horizontally.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the cutter 25 is used in the receipt printer 10 has been described. However, the cutter 25 can be used in various printers that use roll paper that needs to be cut as a recording medium.

  In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the receipt printer 10 is directly connected to the POS terminal. Not limited to this, the receipt printer 10 may be connected to an external device such as a POS terminal via a network.

  Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described, the above embodiment is presented as an example, and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Receipt printer 20 Case 20a Discharge port 21 Hopper 22 Rotating roller 23 Thermal head 24 Platen roller 25 Cutter 30 Casing 31 Housing cover 32 Frame 32a Frame part 32b, 32c Side wall 32d Opening part 32e Opening 32f Supporting part 33 Drive device 34 Cam 34a Protruding part 40 Moving unit 50 Base 51, 52 Protruding part 53, 56 Long hole 54 Claw 55 Protruding part 57 Frame part 57a Protruding part 58 Fitting part 60 Bracket 61, 62 Protruding part 63 Long hole 64 Notch part 69 Opening 71 Fixing Blade 72 Movable blade 73 Spring 74 Stopper 100 Control device 100a CPU
100b Main storage unit 100c Auxiliary storage unit 100d System bus 100e Interface unit 200 Roll paper G1, G2 Guide S1 axis

Claims (5)

A cutter for cutting a recording medium moving in a first axis direction,
A fixed blade disposed along a first surface including the first axis;
A movable blade that is disposed along a second surface that intersects the first surface, and that slides relative to the fixed blade along the second surface so as to intersect the first surface;
Cutter equipped with.   The cutter according to claim 1, wherein the fixed blade is disposed along the recording medium.   The cutter according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first surface and the second surface are orthogonal to each other.   The movable blade is inclined about an axis orthogonal to the second surface with respect to the fixed blade, and the end of the movable blade near the fixed blade does not interfere with the fixed blade. The cutter according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which is inclined with respect to two surfaces. Printing means for printing on a recording medium;
A transport system for sending the recording medium to the printing means;
The cutter according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which cuts the recording medium printed by the printing unit;
Printer with.

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