JP2854515B2 - Printer paper cutting device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sheet cutting device for a printer for printing on a long sheet.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 63-16138, when the movable blade (cutter blade) is displaced in the entire stroke, the paper is cut and the movable blade is displaced halfway. In some cases, there is an automatic cutter in which perforations are formed on a sheet.

[0003]

Problems to be Solved by the Invention
Needless to say, when the movable blade is displaced halfway without being limited to the one disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 8, since the blade edge of the movable blade and the blade edge of the fixed blade are temporarily stopped while being in contact at the same position,
The blade edges of both blades are constantly pressed at the same position and wear. There is a problem that the sharpness is deteriorated due to the wear, and the movement of the movable blade is not smooth when the movable blade is displaced in the entire stroke.

[0004]

According to the present invention, a movable blade held reciprocally along a fixed blade is connected to a forward / reverse rotatable cutter motor driven by a cutter controller, and the movable blade is moved from a home position. Mode setting means for setting a full-stroke drive mode that does not limit the reciprocating drive length of the movable blade and an intermediate drive mode that limits the reciprocal drive length, wherein the cutter is provided when the full-stroke drive mode is set. A movable blade drive control means for outputting a limited drive pulse number smaller than the full stroke drive pulse number from the cutter controller when the intermediate drive mode is set by outputting the full stroke drive pulse number from the controller; When the drive mode is set, a pulse that changes in the range of 0 to n pulses each time the cutting operation is performed is sequentially added to the limited number of drive pulses. And the updated number of drive pulses provided number of pulses updating means for outputting from the cutter controller.

[0005]

When the full-stroke drive mode is set, the cutter blade is driven with the full-stroke drive pulse number to displace the movable blade in all strokes, thereby cutting all of the supplied sheets and driving halfway. When the mode is set, the cutter blade is driven with the limited number of drive pulses, thereby displacing the movable blade halfway to cut a part of the supplied sheet, and also driving the movable blade halfway. If you do
By updating the driving pulse output to the cutter motor every time the cutting operation is performed by the pulse number updating means, the stop position of the movable blade can be changed, and therefore, the edge of the movable blade and the fixed blade is locally worn. It is possible to extend the period until the operation.

[0006]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 2, 1 is a frame. The frame 1 is provided with first and second platens 4 and 5 for independently transporting the long paper sheets 2 and 3, which are arranged coaxially and rotatably provided. Second platen 4,
The first and second thermal heads 6 and 7 are pressed against 5. These thermal heads 6 and 7 share a common substrate. The first platen 4 is connected to a first paper feed motor 11 via a pulley 8 fixed to one end thereof, a timing belt 9 and a pulley 10. Similarly, the second platen 5 is also connected to a second paper feed motor 12 (see FIG. 3) via a pulley 8, a timing belt 9, and a pulley 10 fixed to one end thereof.

The frame 1 is provided with a cutter unit 13. The cutter unit 13 includes a cutter frame 14 fixed to the frame 1, a fixed blade 15 fixed to the cutter frame 14, and a movable blade 16 rotatably held along the fixed blade 15. .

Here, the relationship between the fixed blade 15 and the movable blade 16 is shown in FIG. (A) is a side view, (b) is a front view. As is apparent from these figures, the edge 1 of the fixed blade 15
7 is horizontal in a direction perpendicular to the paper sheets 2 and 3. On the other hand, the movable blade 16 has a fulcrum shaft 18 rotatably held by the cutter frame 14 at both ends, and a straight line 19 connecting these fulcrum shafts 18 and a blade edge 20 of the movable blade 16 are arranged from left to right. , Are inclined downward and toward the platens 4 and 5. Thus, as shown in FIG. 3B, a sharp V-shaped gap like scissors is provided between the blade edge 17 of the fixed blade 15 and the blade edge 20 of the movable blade 16 located at the home position. 21 are formed.

Next, as shown in FIG.
A base portion of an L-shaped arm 22 is rotatably held on the fulcrum shaft 18 at the left end of 6. One end of the arm 22 is fixed to the left end of the movable blade 16 by a screw 23. An arc-shaped hole 24 is formed at the left end of the cutter frame 14 to let the screw 23 escape with the center of the fulcrum shaft 18 as the center of the radius. A cutter motor (stepping motor) 25 is provided on the left side of the frame 1 for forward and reverse rotation, and a drive gear 26 directly connected to the cutter motor 25 is provided.
Gear 27 is rotatably held on the left side of the frame 1. Further, at the other end of the arm 22,
Elongated hole 2 engaging with pin 28 projecting from the side surface of gear 27
9 are formed. Further, first and second sensors 30, 31 each using a reflection type photoelectric detector are fixed to the left side of the frame 1, and a protruding piece 32 detected by the first sensor 30 is formed on the arm 22. Protrusions 33 and 34 detected by the second sensor 31 are formed on the outer periphery of the gear 27. These protruding pieces 33 and 34 are arranged at intervals of about 120 °.

Next, FIG. 4 shows an electronic circuit. A ROM 35 in which fixed data such as programs are stored;
CP that executes data processing based on 35 programs
U36 and a RAM 37 for temporarily storing variable data are connected by a bus line. In the CPU 36,
A first print controller 38 for driving the first thermal head 6, a second print controller 39 for driving the second thermal head 7, and a first print controller 39 for driving the first paper feed motor 11. A paper feed controller 40, a second paper feed controller 41 for driving the second paper feed motor 12, a cutter controller 42 for driving the cutter motor 25, the first and second sensors 30, 31; Is connected.

In such a configuration, the operation will be described as an example of a usage mode in which a postage stamp to be sold to a customer is printed on a paper sheet 2, and the transaction contents at that time are printed on a paper sheet 3 and a receipt is issued. That is, the first print controller 38 drives the first thermal head 6 in synchronization with the operation of the first platen 4 based on print data from a host computer (not shown). Thus, an image as a postage stamp is printed on the paper sheet 2. The second print controller 39 drives the second thermal head 7 in synchronization with the operation of the second platen 5 based on print data from the host computer. Thereby, the paper sheet 3
The details of the sales data, the total amount, and the like are printed on the.

Each time the contents of one postage stamp are printed on the paper sheet 2 and each time the sales data and the total amount are printed on the paper sheet 3 and the closing operation is performed, the host computer is used. Outputs a cutting signal to the cutter controller 42, and the cutter motor 25 rotates under the control of the cutter controller 42. The rotation of the cutter motor 25 is transmitted to a gear 27 via a drive gear 26, and a pin 28
The arm 22 having the elongated hole 29 engaged with the movable blade 16 rotates about the fulcrum shaft 18 integrally with the movable blade 16. Thereby, the paper sheets 2 and 3 sent between the fixed blade 15 and the movable blade 16 are cut. In this case, the blade edge 17 of the fixed blade 15 and the movable blade 16
As shown in FIG. 3B, an acute V-shaped gap 21 is formed between the paper blade 2 and the paper leaf 3 so as to gradually widen as shown in FIG. Is rotated halfway of the entire stroke, and the blade edge 20 reaches only the position indicated by the imaginary line α in FIG.
A part of the gap 21 between the movable blade 16 and the movable blade 16 is closed, and only the paper sheet 2 is cut. Further, when the movable blade 16 has rotated through the entire stroke and the blade edge 20 has reached the position indicated by the imaginary line β,
The gap 21 between the fixed blade 15 and the movable blade 16 is closed over the entire area, and the sheet 2 is cut, and then the sheet 3 is cut.

Hereinafter, the cutting operation of the sheets 2 and 3 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, in step 1, an initial process is performed after the power is turned on. In this initial processing, when the movable blade 16 is not located at the home position, an operation of driving the cutter motor 25 to return the movable blade 16 to the home position is also performed. Movable blade 1
As shown in FIG. 5, the first sensor 30 detects the protrusion of the arm 22 and turns ON, and the second sensor 31 detects the protrusion 33 of the gear 27 as shown in FIG. ON. Thereafter, as described above, the contents of the postage stamp or the sales data is printed on each of the paper sheets 2 and 3.

When only a stamp cutting signal is input,
In step 2, the CPU 36 sets an intermediate drive mode. If a stamp and receipt cutting signal has been output, in step 12, the CPU 36 sets the full-stroke drive mode. That is, step 2,
Reference numeral 12 functions as mode setting means. If the intermediate drive mode is set, in step 3, the cutter controller 42 causes the cutter motor 25 to rotate clockwise in the normal direction. Accordingly, the gear 27 rotates counterclockwise, and the arm 22 starts rotating counterclockwise about the fulcrum shaft 18. When the operation starts properly, it is recognized in step 4 that the first and second sensors 30 and 31 are turned off. The cutter motor 25 still rotates forward, and as shown in FIG. 5, when the second sensor 31 detects the protruding piece 34 of the gear 27 and turns on, this state is recognized in step 5 and the cutter motor 25 Slow down.

At this time, the number of pulses output from the cutter controller 42 to the cutter motor 25 is, as shown in FIG. 7, limited drive less than the number of full-stroke drive pulses required to drive the movable blade 16 all the way. Regarding the number of pulses, the number of pulses output from the cutter controller 42 to the cutter motor 25 is updated by the pulse number updating means including the CPU 36, the ROM 35, and the RAM 37. The number of pulses added to the limited number of drive pulses for updating is 0 to n (n = 5 in the present embodiment) as shown in FIG. In the first cutting operation, one pulse is added, in the (n + 1) th cutting operation, n pulses are added, and in the (n + 2) th cutting operation, 0 pulses are incremented to the limited number of drive pulses, whereby the updated number of drive pulses is set. When it is determined in step 7 that the actually output pulse number is equal to the updated set value, in step 8, the output from the cutter controller 42 is stopped, and the cutter motor 25 is stopped. During this time, the gear 27 makes one third rotation corresponding to the interval of 120 ° between the projecting pieces 33 and 34. Thereby, only the sheet 2 is cut. That is, when the halfway drive mode is set, the intermediate portion of the blade edge 17 of the movable blade 6 comes into contact with the intermediate portion of the blade edge 20 of the fixed blade 15, but this contact portion has 0 to n pulses. It varies within a range of numbers. As a result, the period until the blade edges 17, 20 are locally worn becomes longer, and the life is extended.

Thereafter, in step 9, the cutter motor 25 is controlled by the caddle controller 42 to rotate counterclockwise and rotate the gear 27 clockwise. As a result, the arm 22 and the movable blade 16 start to rotate clockwise about the fulcrum shaft 18, and as shown in FIG.
When the movable blade 16 returns to the home position, in step 8, the first and second sensors 30, 31 are turned on.
Is recognized, and in step 9, the cutter motor 25 is stopped.

If it is determined in step 2 that the drive mode is not the halfway drive mode, and if it is determined in step 12 that the drive mode is the full-stroke drive mode, the cutter motor 25 is controlled by the cutter controller 42 in step 13. Rotate clockwise. Thus, the gear 27 rotates counterclockwise from the state shown in FIG. This allows
As shown in FIG. 6, the arm 22 starts to rotate counterclockwise about the fulcrum shaft 18. When operation starts properly, in step 14, the first and second sensors 30, 31 are turned off.
It is recognized that it becomes FF. The cutter motor 25 is still rotating forward, and the first and second sensors 3
The operation is stopped when the state where 0 and 31 are turned on is recognized. That is, the gear 27 makes one rotation to rotate the arm 22 and the movable blade 16 over the entire stroke. Thereby, the paper sheet 2 is cut and a postage stamp is issued, and subsequently, the paper sheet 3 is cut and a receipt is issued.

When the full-stroke drive mode is set, the cutter controller 42 outputs the number of full-stroke drive pulses to the cutter motor 25. When the half-drive mode is set, the number of drive pulses is smaller than the total stroke drive pulse number. The movable blade drive control means for outputting the limited drive pulse number from the cutter controller to the cutter motor 25 includes a CPU 36 and a ROM 35
And a RAM 37.

As described above, it is possible to select the case where one sheet 2 is cut or the case where both sheets 2 and 3 are cut. Therefore, the present invention is limited to the use as a receipt / journal printer. Without limitation, as described above, the present invention is also applied to applications for issuing postage stamps and receipts. Of course, the paper sheet 2 can be used for issuing various tickets in addition to the postage stamp. Further, since the paper sheets 2 and 3 can be cut by the pair of fixed blades 15 and movable blades 16, the number of parts can be reduced and the structure can be simplified.

In the above embodiment, the movable blade 16 is rotated about the fulcrum shaft 18, but the present invention is not limited to this.
The present invention is also applied to a case where a movable blade that reciprocates in a linear direction with respect to a fixed blade is used.

In the above description, two kinds of paper sheets 2 and 3 are conveyed in parallel in order to issue a postage stamp and a receipt. However, only one kind of paper sheet 2 or 3 may be cut. . In this case, the movable blade 16 is driven in the full stroke to completely cut the sheet 2 or 3, and the driving length of the movable blade 16 is limited to move the sheet 2 or 3 halfway in the paper width direction. It is possible to select a use mode for cutting.

Further, as shown in FIG.
Use a movable blade 44 arranged in a sawtooth shape.
4 is driven by the full stroke to completely cut the paper sheet 2 or 3, or by limiting the driving range of the movable blade 44 so that only the cutting edge of the blade 43 bites into the paper sheet 2 or 3. Alternatively, a use form for forming perforations in 3 can be selected.

Further, the cutter motor 25 is not limited to a stepping motor, but may be a DC motor. In this case, it is desirable to provide an encoder on the output shaft to control the operation of the DC motor.

[0024]

According to the present invention, as described above, when the full-stroke drive mode is set, the cutter motor is driven with the number of full-stroke drive pulses. All the supplied paper sheets can be cut, and when the intermediate drive mode is set, the cutter motor is driven with a limited number of drive pulses smaller than the number of full-stroke drive pulses. When the movable blade is driven halfway, the number of drive pulses output to the cutter motor is updated every time the cutting operation is performed. Since the renewal is performed by means, the stop position of the movable blade can be changed, and therefore, the period until the edge of the movable blade and the fixed blade is locally worn can be extended. Together to sustain sharpness, the movement of the movable blade can be made smooth.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing a sheet cutting operation.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows the relationship between a fixed blade and a movable blade, and (a)
Is a side view, and (b) is a front view.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an electronic circuit.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing a state where the movable blade is located at a home position.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing a state in which a movable blade is rotated in a sheet cutting direction.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing drive pulses in a full-stroke drive mode and an intermediate drive mode.

FIG. 8 is a front view showing a modification of the movable blade.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 15 fixed blade 16 movable blade 25 cutter motor 36 mode setting means 35-37 movable blade drive control means, pulse number updating means 42 cutter controller

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A movable blade held reciprocally movable along a fixed blade is connected to a forward / reverse rotatable cutter motor driven by a cutter controller, and a reciprocating drive length of the movable blade from a home position is determined. Mode setting means for setting an unrestricted full-stroke drive mode and an intermediate drive mode for limiting the reciprocating drive length is provided, and when the full-stroke drive mode is set, the cutter controller controls the number of full-stroke drive pulses from the cutter controller. When the intermediate drive mode is set, a movable blade drive control means for outputting a limited drive pulse number smaller than the total stroke drive pulse number from the cutter controller is provided when the intermediate drive mode is set. Is the number of update driving pulses obtained by sequentially adding the number of pulses varying in the range of 0 to n pulses to the limited number of driving pulses at each cutting operation. A sheet cutting device for a printer, comprising a pulse number updating unit for outputting from a cutter controller.