JP2023097195A - Cutter unit and image recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a cutter unit which facilitates the replacement work of a cutter and a rotor, can suppress the occurrence of jam at a position of the cutter and correctly cut a sheet constituting a roll body.SOLUTION: A cutter unit 26 comprises: a cutter holder 29 which has a first surface 29B formed with an opening 66 through which a sheet S passes; a cutter 28 which is held by the cutter holder 29 and cuts the sheet S passing through the opening 66; an attachment holder 76 which is attached to the first surface 29B of the cutter holder 29 and can be attached to/detached from a sheet conveyance device 10 for conveying the sheet S; and a rotor 34 which is held by the attachment holder 76.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

The present invention relates to a cutter unit and an image recording apparatus provided with the cutter unit.

2. Description of the Related Art As an image recording apparatus having a cutter unit, for example, an image forming apparatus disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-200001 is known. In the image forming apparatus of Patent Document 1, when the print medium on which an image is formed is cut by the cutter of the cutter unit, the print medium is pressed by the spur rollers positioned downstream of the cutter unit in the transport direction of the print medium. there is

JP 2014-024283 A

Since the cutter unit and the spur rollers are separately incorporated in the image forming apparatus, for example, when replacing the cutter and the spur rollers, the cutter and the spur rollers must be removed from the image forming apparatus separately. Since the cutter and the spur roller are consumables that are used at the same time, it is likely to be necessary to perform maintenance at the same time. Therefore, if the cutter and the spur rollers are taken out separately from the image forming apparatus, it takes time and effort to replace the cutter and the spur rollers. Further, since the spur roller is separated from the cutter unit, when the print medium curls, there is a possibility that the print medium is conveyed to the cutter unit in a state in which the curl is not sufficiently suppressed. For this reason, there is a problem that jams are likely to occur at the position of the cutter unit, and that it is difficult to cut the sheet accurately.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a cutter unit that facilitates replacement of the cutter and the rotating body, prevents jamming at the position of the cutter, and cuts the sheet forming the roll more accurately. and to provide an image recording apparatus equipped with a cutter unit.

(1) A cutter unit according to the present invention includes a cutter holder having a first surface formed with an opening through which a sheet passes; a cutter held by the cutter holder for cutting the sheet passing through the opening; An attachment holder attached to the first surface of the cutter holder and detachable from a sheet conveying device that conveys a sheet; and a rotating body held by the attachment holder.

According to the present invention, since the mounting holder is detachable from the sheet conveying device, the cutter unit as a whole can be detachably attached to the sheet conveying device. Therefore, the operator can replace the cutter and the rotating body only by removing the cutter unit from the sheet conveying device and attaching another cutter unit to the sheet conveying device. Therefore, it is easy to replace the cutter and the rotating body. Since the rotating body is held by the mounting holder attached to the first surface of the cutter holder, the rotating body contacts the sheet at a position close to the cutter when the mounting holder is attached to the sheet conveying device. Therefore, curling of the sheet is suppressed at a position close to the cutter, so that jamming at the position of the cutter is suppressed and the sheet is cut more accurately.

(2) The opening may extend in the first direction. The mounting holder is positioned on the first surface in one of the second directions intersecting the first direction of the opening, and includes a holding portion extending in the first direction along the opening, and the holding portion of the holding portion. a pair of first mounting portions extending from both ends in the first direction from one to the other in the second direction and connected to the cutter holder; and both sides in the first direction from the pair of first mounting portions. and a pair of second mounting portions projecting outward and connected to the sheet conveying device. The holding section may hold a plurality of rotating bodies spaced apart in the first direction.

Since the holding section holds a plurality of rotating bodies spaced apart in the first direction, curling of the sheet can be more reliably suppressed in a state in which the pair of second mounting sections are mounted on the sheet conveying device. can be done. Since the pair of first mounting portions extends from both ends of the holding portion in the first direction from one side to the other side in the second direction, it is easy to ensure the strength of the pair of first mounting portions.

(3) The pair of second mounting portions may each have a positioning pin projecting along the second direction.

An operator can more accurately position the mounting holder relative to the cutter by inserting the positioning pin into the insertion hole of the sheet conveying device.

(4) The cutter may have a fixed blade located above the opening and a movable blade that moves relative to the fixed blade. The rotating body may be positioned above the opening. The lowermost portion of the rotating body may be positioned below the lower end of the fixed blade.

Since the rotating body contacts the sheet at a position below the lower end of the fixed blade, curling of the sheet can be suppressed more reliably.

(5) The cutter holder may have a guide that guides the sheet to the fixed blade. The lowermost portion of the rotating body may be positioned below the lower end of the guide.

Since the rotator abuts the sheet at a position below the lower end of the guide, the guide can guide the sheet to the fixed blade and more reliably suppress curling of the sheet.

(6) An image recording apparatus according to the present invention includes the cutter unit and the sheet conveying device to which the mounting holder of the cutter unit is connected.

According to the present invention, the operator can replace the cutter and the rotating body only by removing the cutter unit from the sheet conveying device and attaching another cutter unit to the sheet conveying device. Therefore, it is easy to replace the cutter and the rotating body. Since the rotating body is held by the attachment holder attached to the first surface of the cutter holder, the rotating body contacts the sheet at a position close to the cutter. Therefore, the occurrence of a jam at the position of the cutter is suppressed, and the sheet is cut more accurately.

(7) The cutter holder of the cutter unit may have a second surface located downstream of the first surface in the sheet conveying direction. A discharge port through which the sheet is discharged may be formed on the second surface.

It becomes easier to discharge the sheet cut by the cutter from the discharge port.

(8) The sheet conveying device may have a recording section that ejects ink toward the sheet.

An image is preferably recorded on the sheet conveyed by the sheet conveying device.

(9) The sheet conveying device may further include a fixing section that is located downstream of the recording section in the sheet conveying direction and that fixes ink to the sheet by heating.

The ink can be preferably fixed on the sheet.

Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the present invention, it is possible to easily replace the cutter and the rotating body, suppress the occurrence of a jam at the position of the cutter, and more accurately cut the sheet forming the roll.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an image recording apparatus 100 according to one embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the first upper cover 31A of the image recording apparatus 100 according to one embodiment of the invention is opened. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the side cover 31C of the image recording apparatus 100 according to one embodiment of the invention is opened. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of side frames 20 and 21 of the image recording apparatus 100 according to one embodiment of the invention. FIG. 6 is an external perspective view of the cutter unit 26 according to one embodiment of the invention. FIG. 7 is an external perspective view of the cutter holder 29 of the cutter unit 26 according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view cut along line VIII-VIII of FIG. FIG. 9 is an external perspective view of the mounting holder 76 of the cutter unit 26 according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is an external perspective view of the metal plate 73 to which the mounting holder 76 of the cutter unit 26 according to one embodiment of the invention is attached. FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of the periphery including the spur 34 and fixed blade 28A in FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as appropriate. It should be noted that the embodiment described below is merely an example in which the present invention is embodied, and it goes without saying that the embodiment can be changed as appropriate without changing the gist of the present invention. In the following description, the direction in which the outlet 33 faces is forward 51 and the opposite direction to the front is backward 52 . The forward direction 51 and the backward direction 52 are combined to form the front-rear directions 51 and 52 . Up-down directions perpendicular to the front-rear directions 51 and 52 are defined as up-down directions 53 and 54 (an example of a second direction). Let the direction orthogonal to the front-back directions 51 and 52 and the up-down directions 53 and 54 be the left-right directions 55 and 56 (an example of a 1st direction). The upward direction of the vertical directions 53 and 54 is defined as an upward direction 53 and the downward direction is defined as a downward direction 54 . When the image recording apparatus 100 is viewed backward 52 , leftward direction 55 and rightward direction 56 are defined as the leftward and rightward directions 55 and 56 , respectively.

[External Configuration of Image Recording Apparatus 100]
As shown in FIG. 1, the image recording apparatus 100 has a sheet conveying device 10 and a cutter unit 26. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the sheet conveying device 10 pulls out the sheet S from the roll body 37 and conveys the sheet S forward 51 (an example of the conveying direction). The cutter unit 26 cuts the sheet S conveyed by the sheet conveying device 10 .

The sheet conveying device 10 includes a housing 30 , a conveying section 71 and a recording section 38 . As shown in FIG. 1, the housing 30 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole and is large enough to be placed on a table. The housing 30 includes a main body 31 and a front cover 32 attached to the main body 31 . Hereinafter, when the housing 30 is described, the description will be made with the main body 31 and the front cover 32 as a whole forming a rectangular parallelepiped shape.

The housing 30 has a right wall portion 30R and a left wall portion 30L, an upper wall portion 30U and a lower wall portion 30D, and a front wall portion 30F and a rear wall portion 30B. The right wall portion 30R and the left wall portion 30L are positioned apart in the left-right direction 55,56. The upper wall portion 30U and the lower wall portion 30D are positioned apart in the vertical direction 53,54. The front wall portion 30F and the rear wall portion 30B are separated from each other in the front-rear direction 51 and 52 .

As shown in FIG. 3, the right wall portion 30R is formed with a first opening 11 that opens a later-described sheet accommodation space 30C of the housing 30 to the outside. The first opening 11 is positioned at the rear lower portion of the right wall portion 30R. Specifically, the first opening 11 extends from an intermediate position in the front-rear direction 51, 52 of the right wall portion 30R to the rear wall portion 30B. The first opening 11 extends from the upper portion of the right wall portion 30R to the lower wall portion 30D. The rear wall portion 30B is connected to the rear end portion of the lower wall portion 30D so as to be rotatable around a first rotation shaft A extending in the left-right direction 55,56.

The main body 31 has a first upper cover 31A, a second upper cover 31B and side covers 31C. The first upper cover 31A forms a rear portion of the upper wall portion 30U and a rear upper portion of the right wall portion 30R (see FIG. 1). The first upper cover 31A is connected to the upper end portion of the rear wall portion 30B so as to be rotatable about second rotating shafts extending in the left-right direction 55,56. The first upper cover 31A is rotated from the closed position shown in FIG. 1 so that a portion of the rear side of the upper wall portion 30U is lifted upward, and is rotated to the open position shown in FIG. . When the first upper cover 31A rotates to the open position, the internal space 30A of the housing 30 is exposed to the outside.

The second upper cover 31B is positioned in front of the first upper cover 31A. The second upper cover 31B forms an upper portion of the left wall portion 30L, a front upper portion of the right wall portion 30R, a front portion of the upper wall portion 30U, and a rear portion of the upper wall portion 30U (see FIG. 1). The second upper cover 31B is connected to the upper end portion of the rear wall portion 30B so as to be rotatable about a third rotating shaft extending in the left-right direction 55,56. The second upper cover 31B is rotated from the closed position shown in FIG. 1 to the open position by lifting a part of the front side of the upper wall portion 30U upward. When the second upper cover 31B rotates to the open position, the internal space 30A of the housing 30 is exposed to the outside.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the side cover 31C is configured to open and close the first opening 11 of the housing 30. As shown in FIGS. The side cover 31C is formed in a flat plate shape. The side cover 31C forms part of the rear side of the right wall portion 30R. The side cover 31C is attached to the right end portion of the lower wall portion 30D so as to be rotatable about a third rotating shaft B extending in the front-rear direction 51, 52. As shown in FIG. The side cover 31C is rotatable between a closed position that closes the first opening 11 and an open position that is rotated rightward from the closed position. By opening and closing the side cover 31C, the sheet accommodation space 30C of the housing 30 is opened and closed to the outside.

A front cover 32 covers the front end of the main body 31 . The front cover 32 is detachably attached to the front end of the main body 31 . A second opening 17 is formed in the front surface of the front cover 32 to expose a later-described discharge port 33 of the cutter unit 26 to the outside. The second opening 17 is positioned near the right end from the center in the left-right direction 55, 56 on the front surface. The front cover 32 has a bulging portion 49 that bulges forward 51 from the front surface around the second opening 17 . The inside of the bulging portion 49 has a shape that matches the external shape of a later-described cutter holder 29 of the cutter unit 26 .

An operation panel 44 is provided above the bulging portion 49 of the front cover 32 . The operation panel 44 receives input from the operator for operating the image recording apparatus 100 and confirming various settings.

As shown in FIG. 5, two side frames 20 and 21 and a sub-frame 22 are provided in the internal space 30A of the housing 30. As shown in FIG. Each of the side frames 20 and 21 is made of a steel plate and has a flat plate shape, and is appropriately formed with cutouts and through holes having shapes corresponding to members to be supported. The two side frames 20 and 21 are positioned apart in left and right directions 55 and 56 . Each side frame 20 , 21 is connected to the lower wall portion 30</b>D of the housing 30 . The side frames 20 and 21 are connected by screwing or welding.

Of the two side frames 20 and 21, the left side frame 20 has a notch 20A formed in the lower front corner. Therefore, the front end portion of the side frame 20 is not connected to the lower wall portion 30D and has a space corresponding to the notch portion 20A. A sub-frame 22 is provided in a space corresponding to the notch 20A. A notch 21A is formed in the rear lower corner of the side frame 21 . The notch portion 21A is an opening for loading the roll body 37 into the sheet accommodation space 30C (see FIG. 4).

The subframe 22 has an upper wall 22U and a left wall 22L. The upper wall 22U connects the upper end of the left wall 22L and the side frame 21 . A lower end of the left wall 22L is connected to the lower wall portion 30D. 22 U of upper walls are connected with 20 A of notch parts of the side frame 20. As shown in FIG. Thereby, the sub-frame 22 is positioned below the front portion of the side frame 20 to form an integrated frame.

[Internal Configuration of Image Recording Apparatus 100]
As shown in FIG. 4, between the side frames 20 and 21 in the internal space 30A of the housing 30 are a roll holder 35, a tensioner 45, a conveying section 71, a recording section 38, a support mechanism 116, a fixing section 39, A jam cover 81, a support member 46, and a contact image sensor (hereinafter referred to as "CIS") 25 are arranged.

A partition wall 41 is provided between the side frames 20 and 21 in the left and right directions 55 and 56 in the internal space 30A of the housing 30 . The partition wall 41 partitions the rear lower portion of the internal space 30A to define the sheet accommodation space 30C. The sheet accommodation space 30C is a space surrounded by the partition wall 41, the rear wall portion 30B, the lower wall portion 30D, and the side frames 20 and isolated from the recording portion 38 and the like.

A roll 37, a roll holder 35 that holds the roll 37, and a slide support portion 48 (see FIG. 3) that supports the roll holder 35 are accommodated in the sheet accommodation space 30C.

The roll body 37 has a core tube and a long sheet S. As shown in FIG. The sheet S is wound around the core tube in a roll shape in the circumferential direction of the axis of the core tube. The sheet S can have a width from the minimum width to the maximum width with which the image recording apparatus 100 can record an image. That is, a plurality of types of roll bodies 37 having different widths can be accommodated in the sheet accommodation space 30C. Note that the roll body 37 may not have a core tube, and the sheet S may be wound in a roll shape so as to be attachable to the roll body holder 35 .

The roll body holder 35 rotatably supports the roll body 37 in a state in which the axis of the core tube of the roll body 37 extends along the lateral directions 55 and 56 . The roll body holder 35 has a pair of side guides 35A spaced apart in left and right directions 55,56. The distance between the pair of side guides 35A in the left-right direction 55, 56 can be changed. The operator moves the pair of side guides 35A so as to contact the left and right ends of the roll body 37 according to the width of the roll body 37 mounted on the roll body holder 35 (dimensions along the left-right directions 55 and 56). can be made The roll body 37 whose left and right ends are in contact with the pair of side guides 35A is positioned so that the center of the sheet S in the width direction becomes the center of the transport path 43 in the left and right directions 55 and 56 .

The slide support portion 48 is slidably attached to the housing 30 through the first opening 11 between a storage position stored in the seat storage space 30C and a drawn position where at least a portion thereof is pulled out of the housing 30. installed.

The sheet accommodation space 30C opens upward 53 at the rear portion. Specifically, a gap 42 is formed between the partition wall 41 and the rear wall portion 30</b>B, that is, above the rear end of the roll body 37 . The sheet S is drawn upward from the rear end of the roll body 37 by the conveying portion 71 and guided to the tensioner 45 through the gap 42 .

The tensioner 45 is located above the partition wall 41 in the rear portion of the internal space 30A. The tensioner 45 is a roller rotatably supported by the side frames 20 and 21 . The tensioner 45 is supported by the side frames 20, 21 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction 51, 52. As shown in FIG. A rearward biasing force 52 is applied to the tensioner 45 by a biasing member such as a spring.

The transport portion 71 is configured to be able to transport the sheet S in a state where the slide support portion 48 is at the storage position. The transport unit 71 pulls out the sheet S from the roll body 37 and transports the sheet S forward 51 . The transport section 71 has a transport roller pair 36 , a first discharge roller pair 40 and a second discharge roller pair 72 .

The conveying roller pair 36 is positioned in front of the tensioner 45 . The transport roller pair 36 has a transport roller 36B and a pinch roller 36A. The transport roller 36B is rotatably supported by the side frames 20 and 21. As shown in FIG. The conveying roller 36B is driven by a motor (not shown) and rotates, thereby conveying the sheet S forward 51 while nipping the sheet S with the pinch roller 36A.

The first discharge roller pair 40 is positioned forward of the transport roller pair 36 . The first discharge roller pair 40 has a discharge roller 40A that contacts the lower surface of the sheet S and a spur 40B that contacts the upper surface of the sheet S. As shown in FIG. The discharge roller 40A is rotatably supported by the side frames 20 and 21. As shown in FIG. The spur 40B is rotatably supported by a first spur holder 74 supported by the inner wall surface of the second upper cover 31B. The discharge roller 40A conveys the sheet S in the forward direction 51 while nipping the sheet S between itself and the spur 40B by being driven and rotated by a motor (not shown).

The second discharge roller pair 72 is positioned forward of the first discharge roller pair 40 . The second discharge roller pair 72 has a discharge roller 72A that contacts the lower surface of the sheet S and a spur 72B that contacts the upper surface of the sheet S. As shown in FIG. The discharge roller 72A is rotatably supported by the side frames 20 and 21. As shown in FIG. The spur 72B is rotatably supported by a second spur holder 75 supported by the inner wall surface of the second upper cover 31B. The discharge roller 72A conveys the sheet S in the forward direction 51 while nipping the sheet S between itself and the spur 72B by being driven and rotated by a motor (not shown).

The recording unit 38 is positioned in front of the conveying roller pair 36 and behind the first discharge roller pair 40 . The recording unit 38 has a plurality of nozzles 38A. The plurality of nozzles 38A eject ink droplets downward toward the sheet S supported by the support mechanism 116 . Accordingly, an image is recorded on the upper surface of the sheet S. FIG. An ink tank 47 disposed in the front lower portion of the internal space 30A of the housing 30 is connected to the recording unit 38 by a tube (not shown) so as to be able to supply ink.

As the ink, a water-based ink containing water, pigment, and thermoplastic resin fine particles is used. Note that the ink in the present embodiment is not particularly limited as long as it can be fixed on the sheet S by heating. In this embodiment, the ink attached to the sheet S is heated by the fixing unit 39 to melt the thermoplastic resin fine particles, and the melted resin is cured by subsequent cooling, thereby fixing the pigment contained in the ink to the sheet S. .

The support mechanism 116 is positioned forward of the transport roller pair 36 . The support mechanism 116 is positioned below the recording section 38 . The support mechanism 116 faces the recording section 38 in the vertical directions 53 and 54 . The support mechanism 116 has a conveyor belt 117 and a support portion 118 that supports the conveyor belt 117 . The conveying belt 117 conveys the sheet S forward 51 while supporting the lower surface of the sheet S by being driven by a motor (not shown) and being rotated.

The fixing section 39 is positioned between the recording section 38 and the first discharge roller pair 40 in the front-rear direction 51 , 52 . The fixing portion 39 is fixed to the side frames 20 and 21 . The fixing unit 39 supports the lower surface of the sheet S conveyed forward 51 by the conveying belt 117 . The fixing unit 39 heats the sheet S. As shown in FIG. As a result, the thermoplastic resin fine particles contained in the ink are melted while the sheet S passes through the fixing section 39, and the melted resin is cured by being cooled by the air after passing through the fixing section 39, and the pigment is transferred to the sheet S. It settles on the top surface of the

The jam cover 81 is arranged to cover the fixing section 39 from above. A jam cover 81 is attached to the side frames 20 and 21 . The jam cover 81 has a plurality of spurs 81A that come into contact with the upper surface of the sheet S conveyed forward 51 by the conveying belt 117 .

The support member 46 is positioned in front of the fixing section 39 . The front portion of the support member 46 faces the spur 72B in the vertical directions 53, 54. As shown in FIG. The rear portion of the support member 46 faces the spur 40B in the vertical directions 53, 54. As shown in FIG. The support member 46 supports the lower surface of the sheet S conveyed forward 51 by the first discharge roller pair 40 .

The CIS 25 is positioned in front of the fixing section 39 . CIS 25 is positioned above support member 46 . The CIS 25 is positioned between the first discharge roller pair 40 and the second discharge roller pair 72 in the front-rear direction 51 , 52 . The CIS 25 collects reflected light emitted from a light source such as an LED and reflected by the sheet S to the line sensor by a gradient index lens, thereby generating an electric current corresponding to the intensity of the reflected light received by the line sensor. It outputs a signal. The CIS 25 outputs an electrical signal corresponding to reflected light from the image on the upper surface of the sheet S. FIG. The direction in which the line sensors of the CIS 25 are arranged, that is, the reading line extends along the left and right directions 55 and 56 . The reading line length of the CIS 25 is longer than the maximum width of the sheet S on which the image recording apparatus 100 can record an image.

A substrate is fixed to the left side frame 20 . The substrate is equipped with an arithmetic element that serves as a control unit, a communication interface chip, various connectors, and the like. The board is connected to a motor for driving the recording unit 38 and the cutter 28, the operation panel 44, and the like by a flat cable (not shown) so that electric signals can be transmitted and received. Also, power is supplied to the substrate from a power supply unit (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 4 , the cutter unit 26 is detachably attached to the main body 31 of the sheet conveying device 10 inside the bulging portion 49 of the front cover 32 . The cutter unit 26 is positioned in front of the second discharge roller pair 72 while attached to the main body 31 . The cutter unit 26 includes a cutter holder 29, a cutter 28, a mounting holder 76, and a plurality of spurs 34 (an example of rotating bodies) shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 8, the cutter holder 29 has a passage 77 through which the sheet S passes. The passage 77 extends along the front-rear directions 51 , 52 . The length of the passage 77 in the left-right direction 55, 56 is longer than the maximum width of the sheet S. The cutter holder 29 has an external shape that matches the internal shape of the bulging portion 49 of the front cover 32 .

As shown in FIG. 8 , a passage port 66 (an example of an opening) communicating with the passage 77 is formed in the rear surface 29B (an example of the first surface) of the cutter holder 29 . As shown in FIG. 7, the passage opening 66 is located above the rear surface 29B of the cutter holder 29. As shown in FIG. The passage opening 66 is formed in a rectangular shape elongated in the left-right direction 55 , 56 . The sheet S can pass through the passage opening 66 . The length of the passage port 66 in the left-right direction 55 , 56 is longer than the maximum width of the sheet S.

A first guide surface 67 extending rearward 52 from the lower end of the passage port 66 is formed on the rear surface 29B of the cutter holder 29 . The first guide surface 67 is formed from one end to the other end of the passage port 66 in the left-right direction 55 , 56 . The first guide surface 67 is inclined downward 54 with respect to the rearward 52 . Two projections 68 projecting rearward 52 are formed on the rear surface 29B of the cutter holder 29 . The two projections 68 are located at both ends in the left-right direction 55 and 56 on the rear surface 29B of the cutter holder 29 and in the middle in the up-down direction 53 and 54 . Each projection 68 is formed with a female thread (not shown) into which the male thread 122 can be screwed from below.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 8, a front surface 29A (an example of a second surface) of the cutter holder 29 is formed with a discharge port 33 elongated in left and right directions 55 and 56. As shown in FIG. The outlet 33 communicates with the passage 77 . The discharge port 33 is exposed to the outside from the second opening 17 of the front cover 32 . The sheet S on which an image has been recorded in the internal space 30A of the housing 30 is discharged to the outside of the housing 30 through the discharge port 33 . A second guide surface 78 extending forward 51 from the lower end of the discharge port 33 is formed on the front surface 29A of the cutter holder 29 . The second guide surface 78 is formed from one end to the other end in the left-right direction 55 , 56 of the discharge port 33 . The second guide surface 78 is inclined downward 54 with respect to the forward direction 51 .

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the cutter holder 29 has a guide 69 forming the upper portion of the rear surface 29B. A lower end portion 69</b>A of the guide 69 is bent obliquely downward 54 with respect to the forward direction 51 . A lower end portion 69</b>A of the guide 69 defines the upper end of the passage opening 66 . The guide 69 guides the sheet S passing through the passage port 66 to a fixed blade 28A of the cutter 28, which will be described later.

The cutter 28 is held by a cutter holder 29 . The cutter 28 has a fixed blade 28A and a movable blade 28B. The fixed blade 28A is positioned above the passage opening 66. As shown in FIG. The fixed blade 28A is fixed to the upper support wall 79 of the cutter holder 29 in front of the guide 69. As shown in FIG. 28 A of fixed blades are formed in the shape of a flat plate extended along the up-down direction 53,54 and the left-right direction 55,56. A lower end 28AA of the fixed blade 28A serves as a cutting edge. A lower end 28AA of the fixed blade 28A substantially coincides with the lower end 69A of the guide 69 in the front-rear direction 51,52. The movable blade 28B is supported by the lower support wall 80 of the cutter holder 29 so as to be vertically movable with respect to the fixed blade 28A. The movable blade 28B is formed in a flat plate shape extending along the vertical directions 53, 54 and the horizontal directions 55, 56. As shown in FIG. The upper end of the movable blade 28B serves as a cutting edge.

As shown in FIG. 6, the attachment holder 76 is detachably attached to the rear surface 29B of the cutter holder 29. As shown in FIG. The mounting holder 76 has a holding portion 76A, a pair of first mounting portions 76B, and a pair of second mounting portions 76C.

As shown in FIG. 8, the holding portion 76A is positioned above the passage port 66. As shown in FIG. The holding portion 76A shown in FIG. 6 extends in the left and right directions 55, 56 along the passage opening 66 shown in FIG. Both ends in the left-right direction 55, 56 of the holding portion 76A shown in FIG. 6 are positioned outside of both ends in the left-right direction 55, 56 of the passage opening 66 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, the holding portion 76A is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape having an accommodation space capable of accommodating the plurality of spurs 34. As shown in FIG. The holding portion 76</b>A has a body portion 112 that opens upward 53 and accommodates the plurality of spurs 34 , and a lid portion 113 that closes the opening of the body portion 112 . A plurality of slits 114 extending in the front-rear directions 51 and 52 are formed in the body portion 112 . A plurality of slits 114 are arranged at intervals in the left-right direction 55 and 56 . The number of slits 114 corresponds to the number of spurs 34 . In this embodiment, five slits 114 are provided. The lid portion 113 has a flat plate shape extending in the front-rear directions 51 and 52 and in the left-right directions 55 and 56 . The lid portion 113 is fixed to the body portion 112 with a plurality of screws.

The pair of first mounting portions 76B extend downward 54 from both ends of the holding portion 76A in the left-right direction 55, 56, respectively. Each first mounting portion 76B extends to an intermediate position in the vertical direction 53, 54 of the rear surface 29B of the cutter holder 29. As shown in FIG. Each first mounting portion 76B is formed in a rectangular tubular shape with both ends in the vertical direction 53, 54 closed. A screw hole (not shown) penetrating in the vertical direction 53, 54 is formed in the lower end wall of each first mounting portion 76B. As shown in FIG. 9 , the lower end of each first attachment portion 76B opens inward in the left-right directions 55 and 56 and forward 51 . As a result, an insertion space 83 into which the convex portion 68 of the cutter holder 29 can be inserted is exposed to the outside at the lower end portion of each first mounting portion 76B. The projection 68 of the cutter holder 29 is inserted into the insertion space 83 (see FIG. 6). In this state, the male screw 122 inserted through the screw hole of the lower end wall of each first attachment portion 76B is screwed with the female screw of the convex portion 68. As shown in FIG.

Each of the pair of second mounting portions 76C is arranged on each of the pair of first mounting portions 76B. Each second mounting portion 76C is formed on the outer surface of each first mounting portion 76B in the left-right direction 55, 56. As shown in FIG. Each second mounting portion 76C protrudes outward in left and right directions 55, 56 from a substantially intermediate position in the vertical direction 53, 54 of each first mounting portion 76B. The protruding end of each second mounting portion 76C is located outside the rear surface 29B of the cutter holder 29 in the left-right direction 55, 56 (see FIG. 6). A threaded hole (not shown) penetrating in the vertical direction 53, 54 is formed in each of the second mounting portions 76C. A positioning pin 70 protruding downward 54 from the vicinity of the screw hole is formed in each second mounting portion 76C. The positioning pin 70 is formed in a cylindrical shape.

Each second mounting portion 76</b>C is detachably mounted on a metal plate 73 supported by an inner frame (not shown) of the main body 31 of the housing 30 . As shown in FIG. 10 , two internal threads 97 are formed in the metal plate 73 so as to penetrate in the vertical direction 53 , 54 at intervals in the horizontal direction 55 , 56 . A male screw 121 inserted into a screw hole of the second attachment portion 76C is screwed with the female screw 97 of the metal plate 73 . Thereby, the second attachment portion 76C is detachably attached to the main body 31 .

Two insertion holes 98 into which the positioning pins 70 can be inserted are formed in the vicinity of the two internal threads 97 of the metal plate 73 . The two insertion holes 98 pass through the metal plate 73 in the vertical directions 53 and 54 . The left insertion hole 98 is circular. The inner diameter of the left insertion hole 98 is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the positioning pin 70 . The right insertion hole 98 is formed in a square shape. The length of one side of the right insertion hole 98 is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the positioning pin 70 . A positioning pin 70 of the second attachment portion 76C is inserted into the insertion hole 98 . As a result, the mounting holder 76 is positioned with respect to the cutter 28 of the cutter unit 26 in the front-rear direction 51 , 52 and in the left-right direction 55 , 56 .

As shown in FIG. 6, the plurality of spurs 34 are held by the holding portion 76A. The plurality of spurs 34 are arranged at intervals in the left-right direction 55 , 56 . In this embodiment, five spurs 34 are arranged. The plurality of spurs 34 are supported inside the holding portion 76A so as to be rotatable about rotation shafts extending in the left-right direction 55, 56. As shown in FIG. Each spur 34 protrudes downward 54 from the lower end of the holding portion 76A through the slit 114 . Each spur 34 faces the first guide surface 67 in the vertical direction 53 , 54 . As shown in FIG. 11, the lowest portion 34A of each spur 34 is located below the lower end 28AA of the fixed blade 28A by a length L1. The lowermost portion 34A of each spur 34 is positioned below the lower end 69AA of the guide 69 by a length L2.

The image recording apparatus 100 configured as described above operates as follows.

When the conveying roller 36B of the conveying roller pair 36 rotates, the sheet S is drawn upward 53 through the gap 42 from the roll body 37 in the sheet accommodation space 30C. The sheet S pulled out from the roll body 37 is conveyed forward 51 while being nipped between the conveying roller 36B and the pinch roller 36A. The sheet S conveyed forward 51 by the conveying roller pair 36 is supported by the support portion 118 of the support mechanism 116 . At this time, an image is recorded on the upper surface of the sheet S by ejecting ink downward from the nozzles 38</b>A of the recording unit 38 . The sheet S having an image recorded on its upper surface is conveyed forward 51 by the conveying belt 117 .

The sheet S conveyed forward 51 by the conveying belt 117 is supported on the upper surface of the fixing section 39 . While the sheet S passes over the fixing section 39 , the heat of the fixing section 39 heats the sheet S and the ink. As a result, the thermoplastic resin fine particles contained in the ink are melted and then hardened by air cooling, whereby the pigment is fixed on the upper surface of the sheet S. As shown in FIG.

The sheet S heated by the fixing section 39 is conveyed forward 51 while being nipped between the discharge roller 40A and the spur 40B of the first discharge roller pair 40 . The sheet S transported forward 51 by the first discharge roller pair 40 is supported by the support member 46 . When the sheet S is supported by the support member 46 , the CIS 25 emits light from the light source toward the upper surface of the sheet S and outputs an electric signal corresponding to the intensity of the light reflected by the sheet S. Thereby, the image on the upper surface of the sheet S is read by the CIS 25 .

The sheet S whose image has been read by the CIS 25 is conveyed forward 51 by the second discharge roller pair 72 . The sheet S conveyed forward 51 by the second discharge roller pair 72 passes through the passage port 66 and moves in the path 77 while being supported from below by the first guide surface 67 . At this time, the sheet S abuts against the plurality of spurs 34 from above at a position lower than the lower end 28AA of the fixed blade 28A and the lower end 69AA of the guide 69, and the lower end 69A of the guide 69 pushes the blade edge of the fixed blade 28A. (lower end 28AA).

Then, when the front portion of the sheet S is exposed to the outside of the housing 30 through the discharge port 33 , the sheet S is stopped while being sandwiched by the second discharge roller pair 72 . In this state, the movable blade 28B of the cutter 28 moves upward 53 with respect to the fixed blade 28A, thereby cutting the sheet S along the horizontal directions 55 and 56. As shown in FIG. The sheet S cut by the cutter unit 26 is discharged from the discharge port 33 .

Next, a method for replacing the cutter 28 and the spur 34 of the cutter unit 26 will be described.

First, the operator exposes the cutter unit 26 to the outside of the housing 30 by removing the front cover 32 of the housing 30 from the main body 31 . Next, the operator removes the male screw 121 (see FIGS. 6 and 9) screwed together with the female screw 97 of the metal plate 73 from the second mounting portion 76C, and removes the positioning pin 70 of the second mounting portion 76C from the metal plate 73. The cutter unit 26 is removed from the metal plate 73 by pulling it out from the insertion hole 98 of the plate 73 . Next, the worker attaches a new cutter unit 26 to the metal plate 73 . Specifically, the worker inserts the positioning pin 70 into the insertion hole 98 of the metal plate 73 while overlapping the screw hole of the second mounting portion 76</b>C with the internal thread 97 of the metal plate 73 . In this state, the male screw 121 inserted into the screw hole of the second attachment portion 76C is screwed into the female screw 97 of the metal plate 73. As shown in FIG. Thereby, a new cutter unit 26 is attached to the metal plate 73 . Finally, the operator attaches the front cover 32 to the main body 31 . Thereby, the cutter unit 26 is covered with the front cover 32 .

The cutter unit 26 as a whole is detachable from the main body 31 of the sheet conveying device 10 . Therefore, the operator replaces the cutter 28 and the plurality of spurs 34 simply by removing the cutter unit 26 from the main body 31 of the sheet conveying device 10 and attaching a new cutter unit 26 to the main body 31 of the sheet conveying device 10.例文帳に追加be able to. Therefore, the replacement work of the cutter 28 and the plurality of spurs 34 is easy. Since the spur 34 is held by the attachment holder 76 attached to the rear surface 29B of the cutter holder 29, the spur 34 is positioned close to the cutter 28 when the attachment holder 76 is attached to the main body 31 of the sheet conveying device 10. It abuts on the sheet S. For this reason, curling of the sheet S is suppressed at a position close to the cutter 28, so jamming at the position of the cutter 28 is suppressed, and the sheet S is cut more accurately.

In the cutter unit 26, the holding portion 76A holds the plurality of spurs 34 at intervals in the left-right direction 55, 56. , curling of the sheet S can be suppressed more reliably. Since the first mounting portions 76B extend downward 54 from both ends of the holding portion 76A in the left-right direction 55, 56, the strength of the first mounting portions 76B can be easily ensured.

In the cutter unit 26, the second attachment portion 76C has the positioning pin 70 projecting along the vertical directions 53, 54, so that the operator inserts the positioning pin 70 into the insertion hole of the metal plate 73 to , the position of the mounting holder 76 relative to the cutter 28 can be more accurately positioned.

In the cutter unit 26, the plurality of spurs 34 contact the sheet S at positions below the lower end 28AA of the fixed blade 28A, so curling of the sheet S can be suppressed more reliably.

In the cutter unit 26, the plurality of spurs 34 contact the sheet S at a position below the lower end portion 69A of the guide 69. Therefore, the guide 69 guides the sheet S to the fixed blade 28A, and the sheet S is curled more reliably. can be suppressed to

In the image recording apparatus 100, replacement work of the cutter 28 and the plurality of spurs 34 is easy. Jamming at the position of the cutter 28 is suppressed, and the sheet S is cut more accurately.

In the image recording apparatus 100, the discharge port 33 for discharging the sheet S is formed in the front surface 29A positioned in front of the rear surface 29B of the cutter holder 29. easily expelled from

Since the image recording apparatus 100 is provided with the recording unit 38 that ejects ink toward the sheet S, an image is preferably recorded on the sheet S. FIG.

The image recording apparatus 100 has the fixing section 39 which is located in front of the recording section 38 and which fixes the ink to the sheet S by heating, so that the ink can be preferably fixed to the sheet S.

[Variation]
In the cutter unit 26 described above, the holding portion 76A is positioned above the passage port 66, but may be positioned below the passage port 66. In this case, the first mounting portion 76B extends upward 53 from both ends of the holding portion 76A in the left-right direction 55, 56. As shown in FIG. The first guide surface 67 is formed to extend rearward 52 from the upper end of the passage opening 66 . The first guide surface 67 may be inclined upward 53 with respect to the rearward 52 .

In the cutter unit 26 described above, the movable blade 28B of the cutter 28 moves upward 53 with respect to the fixed blade 28A, thereby cutting the sheet S along the lateral directions 55 and 56. is not particularly limited as long as the sheet S can be cut along the left and right directions 55 and 56 . For example, the sheet S may be cut along the horizontal directions 55 and 56 by moving the movable blade 28B of the cutter 28 in the horizontal directions 55 and 56 with respect to the fixed blade 28A.

In the image recording apparatus 100 described above, the cutter 28 cuts the sheet S pulled out from the roll body 37, but the sheet S of a standard size such as A3 size or A4 size may be cut. In this case, the cutter 28 cuts the A3 size sheet S into A4 size sheets S, for example.

In the image recording apparatus 100 described above, the cutter unit 26 is attached to the main body 31 of the sheet conveying apparatus 10. However, the sheet S that does not need to be cut, such as a standard size sheet, or a fanfold paper, which is manually cut, can be cut by hand. When a possible sheet S is conveyed by the sheet conveying device 10 , it may not be attached to the main body 31 of the sheet conveying device 10 . As a result, the versatility of the sheet conveying device 10 can be improved while reducing the size of the sheet conveying device 10 as compared with the case where the cutter 28 and the spurs 34 are incorporated in the sheet conveying device 10 .

In the sheet conveying device 10 described above, water-based ink containing water, pigment, and thermoplastic resin fine particles is fixed onto the sheet S by the heat of the fixing unit 39. However, the ink is not capable of forming an image on the sheet S. If there is, it is not particularly limited. For example, ink that does not require heating may be used. In this case, the fixing section 39 may be omitted.

Although the image recording apparatus 100 described above is an inkjet printer including the recording unit 38 that records by an inkjet recording method, it is not limited to an inkjet printer as long as an image can be recorded on a sheet. For example, the image recording apparatus 100 may be a thermal printer or a laser printer. In this case, for example, the recording unit 38 may be a thermal head, a photosensitive drum, or the like.

In the sheet conveying apparatus 10 described above, the tensioner 45 is rotatably supported by the side frames 20 and 21, and is composed of a roller to which a biasing force 52 is applied backward by a biasing member such as a spring. As long as the sheet S pulled out from the roll body 37 in the space 30C can be guided along the conveying path 43 while being tensioned, there is no particular limitation. For example, the tensioner 45 may consist of a flap rotatably supported on the side frames 20,21. The flap has a shape in which a flat plate extending in vertical directions 53 and 54 and horizontal directions 55 and 56 is curved backward 52 . The flap is rotatable about its upper end as a rotation axis between a guide position that guides the sheet S, a projecting position positioned behind the guide position, and a retracted position positioned forward of the guide position. .

Reference Signs List 10 Sheet conveying device 26 Cutter unit 28 Cutter 28A Fixed blade 28AA Lower end 28B Movable blade 29 Cutter holder 29A Front surface 29B Rear surface 33... Discharge port 34... Spur 34A... Lowermost part 38... Recording part 39... Fixing part 66... Passing port 69... Guide 69AA... Lower end 70... Positioning pin 76 Mounting holder 76A Holding portion 76B First mounting portion 76C Second mounting portion 100 Image recording device S Sheet

Claims (9)

a cutter holder having a first surface with an opening through which the sheet passes;
a cutter held by the cutter holder for cutting a sheet passing through the opening;
a mounting holder attached to the first surface of the cutter holder and attachable to and detachable from a sheet conveying device that conveys a sheet;
and a rotating body held by the mounting holder. The opening extends in a first direction,
The above mounting holder is
a holding portion located in one of the second directions intersecting the first direction of the opening on the first surface and extending in the first direction along the opening;
a pair of first mounting portions extending from one end of the holding portion in the first direction to the other in the second direction and connected to the cutter holder;
a pair of second mounting portions projecting from the pair of first mounting portions to both sides in the first direction and connected to the sheet conveying device;
2. The cutter unit according to claim 1, wherein the holding portion holds the plurality of rotating bodies spaced apart in the first direction. 3. The cutter unit according to claim 2, wherein each of the pair of second mounting portions has a positioning pin projecting along the second direction. The cutter has a fixed blade positioned above the opening and a movable blade that moves relative to the fixed blade,
The rotating body is positioned above the opening,
4. The cutter unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the lowermost part of the rotating body is located below the lower end of the fixed blade. The cutter holder has a guide for guiding the sheet to the fixed blade,
5. The cutter unit according to claim 4, wherein the lowermost portion of the rotor is located below the lower end of the guide. a cutter unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5;
and the sheet conveying device to which the mounting holder of the cutter unit is connected. The cutter holder of the cutter unit has a second surface positioned downstream in the sheet conveying direction with respect to the first surface,
7. The image recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the second surface is formed with a discharge port for discharging the sheet. 8. The image recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the sheet conveying device has a recording section that ejects ink toward the sheet. 9. The image recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the sheet conveying device is located downstream of the recording section in the sheet conveying direction, and further comprises a fixing section that fixes ink to the sheet by heating.

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