JP2021066034A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a printer obtaining the deviation amount of a cutting position of a cutting device without depending on a user.SOLUTION: A printer is equipped with carrying means for carrying a sheet in a carrying direction while being detected in carrying amount, a print head that prints a pattern on the sheet carried by the carrying means, cutting means that cuts the sheet in an intersecting direction intersecting the carrying direction at a cutting position downstream in the carrying direction of the print head, and a sensor that detects the pattern printed on the sheet and an end portion of the sheet. The sheet is carried after butting the sheet on which a predetermined pattern is printed with the cutting means, a tip end of the cut sheet and the predetermined pattern are detected by the sensor, and length from the tip end of the sheet to a position of the predetermined pattern is calculated on the basis of the carrying amount of the sheet.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

The present invention relates to a printing apparatus that cuts a sheet supplied from a roll sheet.

Patent Document 1 discloses a printing apparatus that cuts a conveyed sheet with a cutter at a cutting position. In this printing apparatus, a method of adjusting the cutting position of a sheet is disclosed. In this method, first, a plurality of position adjustment patterns are printed by shifting them in the sheet conveying direction and the sheet width direction. Then, the sheet is cut with a cutter, and the amount of deviation of the cutting position can be obtained depending on which position adjustment pattern the cutter cuts.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-266831

However, in Patent Document 1, the user visually determines the cut position adjustment pattern. Therefore, there is a problem that the accuracy of the deviation amount varies. If the amount of deviation is large, borderless images will be printed continuously, and the connection part will be conspicuous when connecting them. Therefore, the present invention provides a printing device that acquires the amount of deviation of the cutting position of the sheet without depending on the user.

The printing apparatus of the present invention includes a transport means for transporting a sheet in a transport direction while detecting a transport amount, a print head for printing a pattern on the sheet transported by the transport means, and a downstream of the print head in the transport direction. A printing device comprising a cutting means for cutting a sheet in an intersecting direction intersecting the transport direction at a cutting position, and a sensor for detecting a pattern printed on the sheet and an edge portion of the sheet, wherein a predetermined pattern is provided. After cutting the sheet on which is printed by the cutting means, the sheet is conveyed, the tip of the cut sheet and the predetermined pattern are detected by the sensor, and the position of the predetermined pattern is detected from the tip of the sheet. It is characterized in that the length up to is calculated based on the conveyed amount of the sheet.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a printing device that acquires the amount of deviation of the cutting position of the cutting device without depending on the user.

It is sectional drawing of the printing apparatus. It is a block diagram of the control system of a printing apparatus. It is a perspective view of the cutting device. It is a figure which shows the attachment part of the cutter guide rail. It is a top view of a printing part and a cutting apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows the area around the retracting position of a cutter unit. It is a figure which shows the drive part and the rotation detection part of a cutter. It is sectional drawing which shows the positional relationship between a cutter and a sheet. It is a top view of the sheet on which the pattern is printed. It is a flowchart which detects the deviation amount of a cutting position. It is a figure which shows the deviation amount of a cutting position. It is a figure which shows the deviation amount of the cutting position after correcting the transport amount. It is a figure which shows the method of adjusting the position of the guide rail of a cutter.

(Printing device)
Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The relative positions and shapes of the components described in the following embodiments are merely examples, and do not limit the present invention. First, with reference to FIG. 1, a schematic configuration of an inkjet printing apparatus will be described.

The printing device 100 includes a sheet transporting unit, a printing unit, and a cutting device 5. The sheet transfer unit includes a transfer roller 8, a pinch roller 9, an upper guide 6, a lower guide 7, and a transfer roller encoder 112. The roll sheet R held at the rear of the printing apparatus 100 is sent downstream through a transport path formed by the upper guide 6 and the lower guide 7. A transfer roller 8 and a pinch roller 9 that comes into contact with the transfer roller 8 at a constant pressure and rotates in a driven manner are arranged downstream. The transfer roller 8 is connected to the transfer motor 51 via a timing belt. Further, the transfer roller 8 includes a transfer roller encoder 112. Therefore, drive control for rotating the transfer roller 8 can be performed based on the signal from the transfer roller encoder 112. When the tip of the sheet S reaches the sandwiching portion between the transport roller 8 and the pinch roller 9, the sheet S is sandwiched between the transport roller 8 and the pinch roller 9. After that, the sheet S is conveyed to the printed portion by the conveying roller 8 and the pinch roller 9.

The print unit is composed of a print head 2, a carriage 3 on which the print head 2 is mounted, and a platen 10 facing the print head 2. Ink is ejected from the print head 2 in a state where the sheet S conveyed to the printing portion is supported by the platen 10, and an image is printed. The carriage 3 is slidably supported along a guide rail (not shown) and a carriage shaft 4 arranged parallel to each other in the printing device 100. At the time of printing, the sheet S is conveyed to the print position. Then, in the printing unit, a printing operation of printing an image for one line is performed by moving or returning the carriage 3. Next, a transfer operation is performed in which the sheet S is conveyed by the transfer roller 8 and the pinch roller 9 by a predetermined transfer amount in the transfer direction. A desired image is gradually printed on the sheet S by repeating this printing operation and the conveying operation. The sheet S on which the image is printed is conveyed toward the discharge guide 11. When printing is completed, the sheet S is conveyed to a predetermined cutting position, and is cut by the cutting device 5 in the width direction of the sheet (intersection direction intersecting the conveying direction). The cut sheet S is discharged from the discharge guide 11 to the outside of the printing device 100.

A transfer roller encoder 112 is provided near one end of the transfer roller 8. The transport roller encoder 112 includes an encoder film and an encoder sensor. The encoder film is arranged on the same axis as the transport roller 8. A plurality of slit through holes are arranged in a fan shape on this encoder film. The encoder sensor is provided so as to sandwich the slit through hole between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion. The presence or absence of a slit can be detected by this encoder sensor. Therefore, the rotation amount and the phase of the transport roller 8 can be acquired. The control unit 400 of the printing device 100 can detect the conveyed amount of the sheet based on the acquired rotation amount. The reference position of the conveyed amount is the detection position by the sheet tip detection sensor (not shown).

The carriage 3 includes a reflective optical sensor 12. The optical sensor 12 irradiates light toward the platen and receives the light reflected by the sheet S or the platen 10. Then, an output value corresponding to the amount of received light is output. The output value differs greatly between the black platen 10 and the white sheet S due to the difference in reflectance. As a result, it is possible to detect whether the object to be inspected at the spot position irradiated with light is the platen 10 or the sheet S. For example, when the end of the sheet S passes through the spot position of the optical sensor 12, the output value changes significantly. The pulse value P of the transfer roller encoder 112 when a change in the output value is detected can be stored in the ROM. In this way, the end portion of the sheet S can be detected. Similarly, when the pattern is printed on the sheet S, the output value of the optical sensor 12 differs greatly between the printed area and the non-printed area. The pulse value Q of the transfer roller encoder 112 when a change in the output value is detected can be stored in the ROM. In this way, the pattern of the sheet S can be detected. Although an optical sensor is used here to detect the object to be inspected, a CCD camera or the like may be used.

Next, the control configuration of the printing apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the control system of the printing device 100. The printing device 100 includes a control unit 400 including a main control unit 410, a transport control unit 420, and an image formation control unit 430. The main control unit 410 gives a command to the transport control unit 420 and the image formation control unit 430. The transfer control unit 420 drives the transfer motor 51 to convey the sheet S, and drives the cutter motor 103 to cut the sheet S. The image formation control unit 430 controls the carriage motor 52 and the print head 2 to form an image on the sheet. Further, the control unit 400 includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, a motor driver, and the like (not shown). The control unit 400 receives signals from the transfer roller encoder 112, the cutter encoder 104 of the cutter motor 103, the optical sensor 12, and the standby position sensor 106. Further, based on the received signal, the transfer motor 51, the cutter motor 103, the carriage motor 52, and the print head 2 are controlled. The printing device 100 is not limited to the serial scanning method of the present embodiment, and may be a full-line method or the like. Further, a printing method other than the inkjet method may be used.

(Cutting device)
The cutting device 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 7. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the entire cutting device 5. FIG. 4 is a detailed view of the mounting portion of the cutter guide rail. FIG. 5 is a top view of the printing unit and the cutting device. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the periphery of the cutter unit retract position. FIG. 7 is a detailed view of the drive unit of the cutter motor 103.

The cutting device 5 includes a guide rail 101, a belt 102, a cutter carriage 200, and a cutter unit 300. The guide rail 101 is configured to guide the cutter carriage 200 in a direction intersecting the conveying direction of the seat S. The cutter carriage 200 integrally connects the cutter unit 300 and the belt 102, respectively. A cutter motor 103 and a motor pulley 107 are provided on one end side of the guide rail 101, and a tensioner pulley 108 and a tensioner spring 109 are provided on the other end side. The belt 102 is bridged between the motor pulley 107 and the tensioner pulley 108. By urging the tensioner pulley 108 in the X2 direction by the tensioner spring 109, tooth skipping of the belt 102 is prevented.

The cutter guide rail 101 is fastened to the chassis member 114 by fixing screws 117 via a plurality of adjusting sheet metals 113. A plurality of marking lines 115 in 0.5 mm increments are engraved on one end of the adjusting sheet metal 113 in the transport direction. A corresponding number is engraved next to each scribe line. The number increases by 1 from the upstream side to the downstream side in the transport direction. Further, a scribe line 116 is engraved on the side of the chassis member 114 at a position corresponding to the scribe line 115. By visually confirming the number of the line closest to the marking line 116 among the plurality of marking lines 115, the mounting position of the adjusting sheet metal 113 at each location can be confirmed.

The driving force of the cutter carriage 200 is transmitted from the cutter motor 103 via the belt 102, and the cutter carriage 200 can reciprocate in the X1 direction and the X2 direction along the guide rail 101. Since the cutter unit 300 is coupled to the cutter carriage 200, it can reciprocate in the directions X1 and X2 in the same manner as the cutter carriage 200. The cutter unit 300 is provided with an upper movable blade 301 and a lower movable blade 302. The upper movable blade 301 and the lower movable blade 302 intersect with each other at a predetermined amount of angle θ (intersection angle) with respect to the cutting direction X1. The lower movable blade 302 has a configuration that can be rotationally driven from the cutter motor 103 via the belt 102 and the cutter carriage 200. Therefore, the lower movable blade 302 and the upper movable blade 301 in contact with the lower movable blade 302 cut the sheet S while rotating together. The sheet S is cut at the contact point between the upper movable blade 301 and the lower movable blade 302.

While printing the image of the sheet S, the cutter unit 300 stands by at the standby position P1 away from the end Sa on the home position side of the sheet S. On the other hand, when the sheet S is cut, the sheet S is cut by moving from the standby position P1 in the X1 direction which is the cutting direction. After cutting the sheet S, the cutter unit 300 reverses at a predetermined reversing position P2, moves in the X2 direction, and returns to the standby position P1.

A motor gear 110 is rotatably arranged at one end of the cutter motor 103. A cutter encoder 104 is provided at the other end. The encoder film 104 of the cutter encoder 104 is rotatably arranged coaxially with the cutter motor 103. A plurality of slit through holes are arranged in a fan shape on the encoder film 104. An encoder sensor 118 is provided so as to sandwich the slit through hole between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion. The presence or absence of slits in the encoder film 104 can be detected by the encoder sensor 118. Therefore, the rotation amount and the phase of the cutter motor 103 can be acquired. Therefore, since the relationship between the number of pulses of the cutter encoder 104 and the movement amount of the cutter unit 300 is known, the movement amount of the cutter unit 300 can be known by counting the number of pulses of the cutter encoder. Further, in the vicinity of the standby position P1, a standby position sensor 106 is provided in a part of the fixed sensor holder 105. Therefore, the sensor flag unit 305f arranged on the cutter unit 300 can be detected by the standby position sensor 106, and the cutter unit 300 can be accurately stopped at the standby position P1. The standby position sensor 106 can detect the presence or absence of the cutter unit 300 at the standby position P1.

(Detection of deviation amount of sheet cutting position)
A method of detecting the amount of deviation of the cutting position of the sheet will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the positional relationship between the cutting device and the sheet. FIG. 9 is a top view of the sheet on which the pattern is printed. FIG. 10 is a flowchart for detecting the amount of deviation of the cutting position.

The printing apparatus has a "deviation amount detection mode" for detecting the deviation amount of the cutting position, and can be executed by operating an operation panel (not shown).

In the step S101, the user starts the "deviation amount detection mode". At this time, the printing device is in the standby state, the sheet S is sandwiched between the transfer roller 8 and the pinch roller 9, and the tip of the sheet S protrudes downstream from the sandwiching point by about 5 mm in the transfer direction.

In the step S102, the control unit 400 drives the transfer motor 51 to transfer the seat S by a predetermined distance (Lc). As a result, the sheet S reaches the print position by the print head 2.

In the step S103, the control unit 400 prints a predetermined pattern by the print head 2 while conveying the sheet S (FIG. 8A). This predetermined pattern is a solid image having a predetermined width extending in the width direction of the sheet formed with a predetermined duty (FIG. 9A). Since the solid image is black, the reflectance is smaller than that of the white surface of the sheet. Therefore, the pattern and the white surface can be discriminated by the output value of the optical sensor 12.

In the step S104, the sheet S is conveyed to the cutting position with a set value based on the apparatus configuration so that the distance from the tip B of the sheet S after cutting to the position of the pattern is La. The position of the pattern is based on the boundary A on the downstream side of the solid image 119. From the distance Lb between the position of the nozzle 121 and the cutting position of the cutting device 5, the amount of the sheet S transported is Lb-La.

In the step S105, the margin on the tip end side of the pattern printed on the sheet S is cut by the cutting device 5 (FIG. 8 (b)). The cutting position of the printing device 100 deviates from the set value by a deviation amount ΔL depending on the component accuracy at the time of manufacturing the printing device 100 and the mounting accuracy of the cutter unit 300. The deviation amount ΔL is not always uniform in the main scanning direction, and is curved or tilted as shown in FIG. 9B. The solid image may be cut instead of the margin. The position of the pattern in this case is based on the boundary on the upstream side.

In the step S106, the control unit 400 moves the optical sensor 12 to the detection position Xn in the width direction of the sheet S. The optical sensor 12 is moved by the carriage 3.

In the step S107, the optical sensor 12 irradiates light, and while detecting the reflected light, the sheet S is conveyed in the direction opposite to the conveying direction at the time of printing.

In the step S108, the boundary A on the downstream side of the pattern that changes from the solid image 119 to the white surface of the sheet S is detected. Further, the pulse value P of the transfer roller encoder 112 when the boundary A is detected is stored in the ROM.

In the step S109, the sheet S is conveyed in the direction opposite to the conveying direction at the time of printing while further detecting the reflected light. Then, the boundary B that changes from the white surface of the sheet S to the black surface of the platen surface is detected. Further, the pulse value Q of the transfer roller encoder 112 when the boundary B is detected is stored in the ROM (FIG. 8 (d)). When the control unit 400 detects the boundary B, the control unit 400 stops the transfer of the sheet S.

In the step S110, the length Ln from the tip B of the cut sheet S at Xn to the boundary A of the solid image 119 is calculated. The difference between the pulse values P and Q corresponds to the length from the tip B of the sheet S after cutting to the boundary A of the solid image 119. Therefore, from the diameter D of the transfer roller 8 and the number of slits S of the transfer roller encoder 112, Ln = (PQ) × πD / S. If the sheet slips on the transport roller, it may be corrected by an appropriate correction coefficient.

In the step S111, the deviation amount ΔLn is calculated. The deviation amount ΔLn is ΔLn = Ln−La using the length Ln from the tip B of the sheet S to the boundary A of the solid image 119 and the set value La. The deviation amount ΔLn is stored in the ROM. When ΔLn> 0, it indicates that the cutting position is shifted to the downstream side of the sheet S in the transport direction from the set value, and when ΔLn <0, the cutting position is shifted from the set value in the transport direction of the sheet S. It shows that it is shifted to the upstream side of.

In the step S112, it is determined whether or not the number of acquisitions of the deviation amount is a desired number (N). The position X and the number of times N of the optical sensor 12 in the main scanning direction can be arbitrarily set. If N is increased and ΔLn is acquired in large quantities, the profile of the sheet in the width direction of the displacement amount can be acquired in detail.

In the step S113, if the number of times is less than N, the sheet S is transported by the transport distance Ld so that the boundary A is on the downstream side in the transport direction from the spot of the optical sensor 12. Then, returning to the step S106, the carriage 3 is moved so that the optical sensor 12 becomes the next detection position Xn + 1. When the number of acquisitions of ΔLn reaches N times, the deviation amount detection mode is terminated in the S114 step. As a result, the amount of deviation can be acquired at each detection position.

(Correction method for deviation amount)
Here, a method of correcting the deviation amount ΔL of the acquired cutting position will be described. There are two methods for correcting the amount of deviation, one is to make an average correction based on the amount of sheet conveyed, and the other is to adjust the cutting position of the cutting device by an adjusting mechanism.

First, a method of correcting the deviation amount ΔL according to the sheet conveyed amount will be described. The deviation amount ΔL of the cutting position of the cutting device 5 is shown in FIG. The horizontal axis represents the position X in the width direction of the sheet, and the vertical axis represents the deviation amount ΔL. The deviation amount ΔLn is the deviation amount at the detection position Xn. The number of detected N is 10 from 1 to 10. When the cutting position and the set value match, the deviation amount ΔL = 0. In this example, the maximum value at which the cutting position shifts to the downstream side in the transport direction is ΔL7. On the other hand, the maximum value that shifts to the upstream side in the transport direction is ΔL3. The absolute value of ΔL3 is smaller than that of ΔL7. The correction method calculates the average value of ΔL3 and ΔL7 and adds it to the set value related to the sheet transport amount. That is, the transport correction amount is set to H = (ΔL7 + ΔL3) / 2. Since H> 0, the transport amount is corrected so that it is larger than the set value by H. The amount of deviation after correction is shown in FIG. The maximum value of the corrected amount of deviation is ΔL7'= ΔL7−H. Therefore, it is smaller than the maximum value ΔL7 before correction. The new set value to which the transfer correction amount H is added is stored in the ROM and used when cutting the sheet from the next time onward.

If the amount of deviation ΔL is large, for example, borderless images are continuously printed, and when those images are connected, the connection portion becomes conspicuous. By correcting the set value related to the transport amount as described above, the maximum value of the deviation amount in the transport direction can be reduced. As a result, it is possible to make the deviation at a position where the deviation amount is particularly large, such as ΔL7, less noticeable.

Next, a method of adjusting the cutting device by the adjusting mechanism based on the acquired deviation amount ΔL will be described. In this method, the position of the adjusting sheet metal 113 provided on the guide rail 101 in the transport direction is adjusted. There are eight adjusting sheet metal 113 with respect to the cutter guide rail 101. The cutting device 5 cuts the sheet S while moving along the cutter guide rail 101 in the width direction of the sheet. Therefore, it is desirable that the profile of the deviation amount ΔL adjusts the position in the transport direction at the position in the width direction of the corresponding sheet.

Specifically, the deviation amount detection position Xn is made to coincide with the position of the adjusting sheet metal 113, and the deviation amounts ΔL1, ΔL2, ..., ΔL8 are acquired by the above sequence. Next, the acquired values of the deviation amounts ΔL1, ΔL2, ... ΔL8 are converted into values ΔM1, ΔM2, ... ΔM8 suitable for adjusting the adjusting sheet metal 113 and displayed on the operation panel. The user adjusts the position of the adjusting sheet metal 113 based on this value. The values ΔM1, ΔM2, ... ΔM8 suitable for adjusting the adjusting sheet metal 113 correspond to the marking line 115 as a mark for confirming the position of the adjusting sheet metal 113 with respect to the printing apparatus main body. The scribe lines are engraved in 0.5 mm increments in the transport direction, and the numbers corresponding to the scribe lines increase by 1 from the upstream side to the downstream side in the transport direction. Therefore, it is converted so that ΔM = 1 with respect to ΔL = 0.5 mm. For example, when ΔL1 = 1.5 mm is detected, it becomes 1.5 / 0.5 = 3, so ΔM1 = + 3 is displayed on the operation panel. ΔL1 = 1.5 is positive, indicating that the cutting position is shifted to the downstream side in the transport direction from the set value. That is, the adjusting sheet metal 113 is moved 1.5 mm from the current position to the upstream side in the transport direction.

FIG. 13 shows the state before and after the adjustment of the adjustment sheet metal 113. Before adjustment, the second scribe line is close to the scribe line 116 on the printing device side. Therefore, after loosening the fixing screw 117 of the adjusting sheet metal 113, the adjusting sheet metal 113 is moved to the upstream side in the transport direction by the adjusting tool. As a result, the cutter guide rail 101 is elastically deformed so that the scribe line No. 5 matches the scribe line 116 on the printing device side. After that, the user tightens the fixing screw 117 to fix the adjusting sheet metal 113. In this way, the positions of all the adjusting sheet metals 113 can be adjusted to reduce all of the deviation amounts ΔL1 to ΔL8.

The adjusting method using the adjusting sheet metal 113 may be used in combination with the above-mentioned method of changing the transport amount. That is, the cutter guide rail 101 is designed to have a high rigidity in order to secure the strength. Therefore, if the value of ΔL is large, a large force is required for adjustment. In this case, adjustment may be difficult. Therefore, it is desirable that the amount of adjusting the adjusting sheet metal 113 is as small as possible. Therefore, the deviation amount of the cutting position is reduced by H by the correction for changing the transport amount. After that, the remaining deviation amounts ΔL1-H, ΔL2-H, ... ΔL8-H are adjusted by the adjusting sheet metal 113. By doing so, the amount of movement of the adjusting sheet metal 113 can be reduced.

As described above, the amount of deviation of the cutting position of the cutting device can be acquired without depending on the user. Further, the cutting position by the cutting device can be adjusted based on the amount of deviation.

2 Print head 5 Cutting device 8 Conveying roller 12 Optical sensor 100 Printing device 112 Conveying roller encoder 300 Cutter unit

Claims (10)

A transport means that transports the sheet in the transport direction while detecting the transport amount, and
A print head that prints a pattern on the sheet conveyed by the conveying means,
A cutting means for cutting a sheet in an intersecting direction intersecting the transport direction at a cutting position downstream of the print head in the transport direction.
A printing device comprising a sensor for detecting a pattern printed on a sheet and an edge of the sheet.
After cutting a sheet on which a predetermined pattern is printed by the cutting means, the sheet is conveyed, the tip of the cut sheet and the predetermined pattern are detected by the sensor, and the predetermined sheet is detected from the tip of the sheet. A printing apparatus characterized in that the length to the position of a pattern is calculated based on the amount of the sheet conveyed. A carriage on which the printhead is mounted is provided.
The printing device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is moved in the crossing direction by the carriage. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sensor is an optical sensor that irradiates light toward a platen that supports the sheet and acquires reflected light. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the predetermined pattern is a solid image having a predetermined width extending in the intersecting direction. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the position of the predetermined pattern is based on the boundary of the predetermined pattern. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the sheet cut by the cutting means is conveyed in the direction opposite to the conveying direction. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the length from the tip of the sheet to the position of the predetermined pattern is detected at a plurality of positions in the crossing direction. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a difference between the length and a set value stored in advance is calculated, and the difference is added to the set value. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising an adjusting means for adjusting the position of the cutting apparatus in the transport direction. The printing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the length is calculated at the position of the adjusting means in the crossing direction.

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