JP5929248B2 - Sheet cutting apparatus and image forming apparatus provided with the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet cutting apparatus for cutting a sheet wound in a roll shape to an arbitrary length, and more particularly to a sheet cutting apparatus mounted on an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a copying machine, or a facsimile.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known an image forming apparatus that transports a long sheet wound in a roll shape (hereinafter referred to as roll paper) in a predetermined transport direction and forms an image on the roll paper. In general, such an image forming apparatus is equipped with a sheet cutting device that moves a cutter in a width direction orthogonal to a roll paper conveyance direction and cuts the roll paper into a predetermined length.

  Conventionally, in the sheet cutting apparatus as described above, it is necessary to return the cutter unit that holds the cutter to the original position (home position) in order to prepare for the subsequent sheet cutting after the sheet is cut. At this time, if the forward path in which the cutter travels to cut the sheet and the return path to return the cutter to the home position are the same path, the cutter contacts the already cut sheet in the return path, and the movement of the cutter unit is hindered. There is a risk of causing problems such as so-called cut jam.

  Therefore, in recent years, in order to prevent such problems as cut jams, the leading edge of the sheet positioned upstream of the cutter in the conveyance direction among the sheets divided into two after the cutter's return path is cut with respect to the forward path of the cutter ( There is known an image forming apparatus provided with a sheet cutting device which is provided at a position separated from the downstream side in the conveyance direction from the leading edge of the succeeding sheet so that the path is different between the forward path and the backward path of the cutter (for example, Patent Document 1).

  However, in this image forming apparatus, since the carriage for holding the recording head and the cutter unit are arranged independently in the transport direction, the width of the apparatus main body in the transport direction becomes large. Further, in the image forming apparatus, it is possible to avoid contact between the cutter and the cut sheet on the return path by making the forward path and the return path of the cutter different, but the cutter unit itself is located on the sheet conveyance path. It remains. For this reason, subsequent sheets cannot be conveyed until the cutter and the cutter unit are returned to the home position, and productivity cannot be improved.

  Accordingly, the applicant of the present application has disclosed an invention aimed at providing a novel sheet cutting apparatus and an image forming apparatus having the sheet cutting apparatus that can solve this problem, such as Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-047725 (hereinafter referred to as “first”). Proposed invention). In the prior invention, the width of the apparatus body in the conveyance direction is reduced by arranging the carriage and the cutter unit in the sheet thickness direction, and the return path from the sheet conveyance path to the sheet thickness in the conveyance direction is reduced. By providing it at a position retracted in the direction, the cutter unit after cutting the sheet can move along the return path while being retracted from the conveyance path.

  However, in the sheet cutting apparatus according to the invention of the prior application having such a configuration, the sheet can be cut by pulling the cutter housing with the moving member in the width direction of the sheet, while it moves after the sheet is cut. The cutter unit is retracted from the sheet conveyance path by rotating the cutter housing with respect to the member. Here, in such a sheet cutting device, for example, the clearance caused by the tolerance between the rotating shaft of the cutter housing and the bearing hole of the rotating shaft, or the cutter housing in the thrust direction with respect to the rotating shaft. There is a concern that the posture of the cutter housing may fluctuate due to a cutting load during sheet cutting due to various causes such as a slight movement.

  Therefore, in such a sheet cutting device according to the invention of the prior application, it is necessary to prevent the sheet from being bent and cut by changing the posture of the cutter housing.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides a sheet cutting apparatus and an image forming apparatus that can suppress a change in posture of a cutter housing during sheet cutting.

In order to achieve the above object, a sheet cutting apparatus according to the present invention is a sheet cutting apparatus that cuts a sheet conveyed along a conveyance path into a predetermined length, and blade portions that are arranged to face each other via the sheet. A cutter housing that accommodates the cutter, a moving member that is spaced apart from the cutter housing in the sheet conveying direction and is movable in a width direction orthogonal to the conveying direction, the cutter housing, and the movement A connecting member having a central axis for connecting the member to the movable member and rotating the cutter housing in the thickness direction of the sheet with respect to the moving member, and suppressing a change in posture of the cutter housing when the sheet is cut. comprising a restraining means, wherein the suppression means, that the posture of the cutter housing in the detaching direction away to the mobile member varies It has a configuration to control.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a sheet cutting apparatus and an image forming apparatus that can suppress fluctuations in the posture of the cutter housing during sheet cutting.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus including a sheet cutting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic side view of an ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a rear view which shows schematic structure of the sheet cutting device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows a sheet cutting device, Comprising: (a) is a side view which shows the partial cross section of a sheet cutting device, (b) is a top view which shows the partial cross section of a sheet cutting device. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which the cutter housing which concerns on embodiment of this invention returned to the roll paper cutting | disconnection operation | movement area | region. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state at the time of the return path | route transfer of a cutter housing. It is a partial cross section side view which shows the state at the time of the return path | route transfer of a cutter housing. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state at the time of the backward movement of a cutter housing. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation | movement for a cutter housing to return to a home position from a return path. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state at the time of the roll paper cutting operation area | region return of a cutter housing. It is a figure which shows a cutter unit, Comprising: (a) is the perspective view seen from the back side, (b) is the perspective view seen from the front side. It is a disassembled perspective view of a cutter unit. It is a figure which shows the transmission structure of the rotational driving force of a driving roller. It is a disassembled perspective view of a moving member. It is a top view which shows the state with which the moving member was hold | maintained at the guide member. (A) is a front view of the cutter unit during forward movement, and (b) is a front view of the cutter unit during backward movement. It is a perspective view which shows the attachment structure of an elastic member. It is a perspective view which shows the relationship between an elastic member and a roller shaft. It is a figure which shows the modification of embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the 1st fluctuation | variation suppression member which concerns on the modification of embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the 2nd fluctuation | variation suppression member which concerns on the modification of embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the 1st fluctuation | variation suppression member which concerns on the modification of embodiment of this invention, a 2nd fluctuation | variation suppression member, and an upper guide plate, Comprising: (a) is a figure which shows the state at the time of outward movement. Yes, (b) is a diagram showing a state during the return path movement.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  1 to 18 are diagrams showing an embodiment of a sheet cutting apparatus and an image forming apparatus according to the present invention, and show an example in which the image forming apparatus is applied to an ink jet recording apparatus.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an ink jet recording apparatus 1 as an image forming apparatus forms an image while scanning an ink jet head in the width direction of the sheet, and after one or more scans are completed, the sheet Is a so-called serial type ink jet recording apparatus that forms a next recording line. Not only the serial type, but also a so-called line type ink jet recording apparatus in which a plurality of nozzles are formed almost throughout the entire width direction of the sheet, and recording is performed while the sheet is conveyed without scanning in the width direction. Is possible.

  The ink jet recording apparatus 1 includes an image forming unit 2 as an image forming unit, a sheet conveying unit 3 as a sheet conveying unit, a roll paper storage unit 4, and a sheet cutting device 5. It is arranged inside the apparatus main body 1a.

  In the image forming unit 2, a guide rod 13 and a guide rail 14 are stretched over both side plates (not shown), and a carriage 15 is held on the guide rod 13 and the guide rail 14 so as to be slidable in the direction of arrow A. Here, sliding means that the carriage 15 moves on the guide rod 13 and the guide rail 14 in the direction of arrow A while contacting the guide rod 13 and the guide rail 14.

  The carriage 15 is mounted with a liquid ejection head (recording head) that ejects ink droplets of each color of black (K), yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C). Although not shown, each recording head is integrally provided with a sub tank that supplies ink to each recording head.

  The carriage 15 is moved and scanned by the main scanning mechanism 10 in the main scanning direction, that is, in the sheet width direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A in the drawing). The main scanning mechanism 10 includes a drive motor 21 disposed on one side in the sheet width direction, a drive pulley 22 that is rotationally driven by the drive motor 21, a driven pulley 23 disposed on the other side in the sheet width direction, and a drive A belt member 24 is provided between the pulley 22 and the driven pulley 23. The driven pulley 23 is tensioned outward by a tension spring (not shown), that is, in a direction away from the drive pulley 22. The belt member 24 pulls the carriage 15 in the sheet width direction by being partly fixed and held by a belt fixing portion provided on the back side of the carriage 15.

  An encoder sheet (not shown) is arranged along the sheet width direction of the carriage 15 in order to detect the main scanning position of the carriage 15. The main scanning position of the carriage 15 is detected by reading an encoder sheet by an encoder sensor (not shown) provided on the carriage 15.

  In the main scanning area of the carriage 15, in the recording area, the roll paper 30 is intermittently conveyed by the sheet conveying unit 3 in the direction orthogonal to the sheet width direction, that is, in the sheet conveying direction (direction indicated by arrow B in the drawing). Is done.

  In addition, a main cartridge 18 containing each color ink to be supplied to the sub-tank of the recording head is attached to and detached from the apparatus main body 1a outside the carriage movement area in the sheet width direction or in one end side area of the main scanning area. It is installed freely. Further, a maintenance / recovery mechanism 19 that performs maintenance / recovery of the recording head is disposed in the other end side region of the main scanning region.

  The roll paper storage unit 4 is a paper supply unit, and the roll paper 30 is set as an image recording sheet. In the roll paper storage unit 4, roll papers having different sizes in the sheet width direction can be set. The roll paper 30 is accommodated in the roll paper accommodating portion 4 by mounting flanges 31 on both sides of the paper roll and placing the flanges 31 on the flange receivers 32. A support roller (not shown) is provided inside the flange receiver 32, and the flange 31 rotates when the support roller contacts the outer periphery of the flange 31, so that the sheet 30 is sent out to the sheet conveyance path.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the sheet conveyance unit 3 includes a pair of paper feed rollers 33, a registration roller 34 and a registration pressure roller 35, and a paper suction conveyance mechanism 36. The paper feed roller pair 33 feeds the roll paper 30 from the roll paper storage unit 4 to the sheet conveyance path. The registration roller 34 and the registration pressure roller 35 are provided downstream of the image forming unit 2 in the sheet conveying direction, and convey the fed roll paper 30 to the sheet cutting device 5 via the image forming unit 2. Yes.

  The sheet suction / conveyance mechanism 36 is disposed below the image forming unit 2 with the sheet conveyance path interposed therebetween, and sucks the roll paper 30 onto a platen plate (not shown) disposed on the upper surface by performing a suction operation. It has become. Accordingly, the flatness of the roll paper 30 conveyed below the image forming unit 2 is maintained.

  The sheet 30 sent out from the roll paper storage unit 4 is positioned below the image forming unit 2 by the sheet conveying unit 3 from the rear (right side in the figure) to the front (left side in the figure) of the apparatus main body 1a. It is conveyed to a predetermined recording area. When the roll paper 30 is conveyed to the recording area, the carriage 15 reciprocates in the sheet width direction, and ink droplets are ejected by the recording head in accordance with image information. Furthermore, an image is formed on each recording line on the roll paper by repeatedly ejecting ink droplets by the recording head while intermittently transporting the roll paper 30. Finally, a desired image corresponding to the image information is formed on the roll paper 30.

  The roll paper 30 after the image formation is cut to a predetermined length by the sheet cutting device 5 and discharged to a paper discharge tray (not shown) disposed on the front side of the apparatus main body 1a via a paper discharge roller (not shown). The

  Next, the sheet cutting device 5 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 is a view of the sheet cutting device 5 as seen from the back side of the apparatus main body 1a (see FIG. 1).

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4A and 4B, the sheet cutting device 5 is disposed on the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction of the image forming unit 2 (see FIG. 2), and includes a cutter unit 40 and a guide member 41. And a wire 42. The sheet cutting device 5 is configured to cut the roll paper 30 conveyed along the sheet conveyance path into a predetermined length.

  The cutter unit 40 includes a cutter housing 51 that houses the cutter 50, a moving member 52, and a rotating shaft 53 as a connecting member.

  The cutter 50 is composed of circular blades 50a and 50b arranged to face each other via the roll paper 30, and is held and accommodated in a cutter housing 51 so as to be rotatable. The circular blades 50a and 50b rotate by obtaining a driving force according to the movement of the cutter housing 51 in the sheet width direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A in FIG. 3). That is, since the cutter 50 cuts the roll paper 30 while the circular blades 50a and 50b rotate, it can cope with cutting of a relatively thick roll paper or the like. Moreover, since the cutter 50 is comprised by the circular cutter, it can prevent the malfunction that only a predetermined location concentrates and wears like a fixed blade. In addition, the circular blade which comprises the cutter 50 is not restricted to 2 sheets, You may be comprised by 1 sheet or 3 sheets or more. However, when a single circular blade is formed, it is preferable to separately provide a linear fixed blade extending in the moving direction of the cutter 50. The circular blades 50a and 50b in the present embodiment constitute a blade portion according to the present invention.

  The cutter housing 51 is configured to be capable of reciprocating in the sheet width direction by a moving member 52 described later, and is connected to the moving member 52 via a rotating shaft 53. The cutter housing 51 is configured to be rotatable in the sheet thickness direction around a rotation shaft 53 described later with respect to the moving member 52, that is, to be capable of circular movement in the forward and reverse directions within a predetermined angle range.

  The cutter housing 51 is configured to cut the roll paper 30 by the cutter 50 in the forward path that moves from the other side of the apparatus main body 1a (see FIG. 1) to the one side. On the other hand, the cutter housing 51 rotates downward with respect to the moving member 52 in the return path that moves from one side to the other side of the apparatus main body 1a (see FIG. 1). It moves to the original position (hereinafter referred to as the home position) while being retracted downward in the vertical direction. That is, the cutter housing 51 is configured to be movable in the sheet width direction in a state where it is retracted in the sheet thickness direction with respect to the sheet conveyance path after the roll paper 30 is cut. For this reason, in the return path, the cutter housing 51 is not separated from the sheet transport path and does not block the sheet transport path. Further, the cutter housing 51 rotates upward with respect to the moving member 52 when returning from the return path to the forward path.

  Further, the position of the cutter housing 51 is detected and controlled by detection means such as a micro switch (not shown) installed at both ends in the sheet width direction.

  Further, the cutter housing 51 is provided with a driven roller 51a on the upstream side (left side in FIG. 3) in the moving direction at the time of cutting the sheet (hereinafter simply referred to as the cutting direction).

  The driven roller 51a is rotatably provided at a position separated from a driving roller 55, which will be described later, in the sheet width direction. The driven roller 51a moves on an upper guide rail 61 described later on the forward path of the cutter housing 51, and moves on a lower guide rail 62 described later on the return path. That is, the driven roller 51 a functions as a member that positions the cutter housing 51 with respect to the upper guide rail 61 and the lower guide rail 62 when the cutter housing 51 moves. The member for positioning the cutter housing 51 is not limited to the driven roller 51a, and may be, for example, an arc-shaped protrusion.

  As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the moving member 52 is provided to be separated from the cutter housing 51 in the sheet conveying direction, and includes a main body 54 and a driving roller 55. ing. Further, the moving member 52 is movable in the sheet width direction within a moving area extending in the sheet width direction of the apparatus main body 1a (see FIG. 1).

  As shown in FIGS. 3, 4 (a), and 4 (b), the drive roller 55 is made of a rubber roller and is fixed to the rotary shaft 53 so as to be integrally rotatable. Therefore, the drive roller 55 is rotatably held by the main body 54 via the rotation shaft 53.

  The moving member 52 is connected to a wire 42 that spans a pair of pulleys 58 provided on both sides of the apparatus main body 1a in the sheet width direction. Of the pair of pulleys 58, a drive motor 59 is connected to a pulley 58 provided on one side of the apparatus main body 1a (see FIG. 1). Accordingly, the wire 42 rotates in the sheet width direction via the pulley 58 that is rotated by the drive motor 59. That is, the wire 42 transmits traction force to the moving member 52. Thereby, the wire 42 pulls the moving member 52 in the sheet width direction. Therefore, the drive roller 55 is configured to rotate on an upper guide rail 61 described later in accordance with the rotational movement of the wire 42. The detailed configuration of the moving member 52 will be described later.

  Further, the cutter housing 51 is configured to rotate in the vertical direction about the rotation shaft 53 of the drive roller 55 when switching between the forward path and the return path. As a result, the cutter housing 51 switches between a posture of cutting the roll paper 30 in the forward path and a posture retracted from the sheet conveyance path in the backward path.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 4A, the drive roller 55 and the driven roller 51a are arranged so as to be shifted from each other in the sheet conveying direction (the direction indicated by the arrow B in the drawing). Specifically, the driven roller 51a is disposed upstream of the driving roller 55 in the sheet conveying direction. Therefore, the driven roller 51a can be moved between the upper guide rail 61 and the lower guide rail 62 in a state where the driving roller 55 is maintained on the upper guide rail 61, and the rotation of the cutter housing 51 described above can be performed. Can be realized. In FIG. 4A, a broken line extending in the direction of arrow B is a sheet conveyance path. Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4A, the cutter housing 51 is arranged within the width of the carriage 15 in the sheet conveying direction. On the other hand, the cutter housing 51 may be disposed at a position spaced upstream or downstream in the sheet conveying direction.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, the cutter housing 51 has an inclined surface portion 51c that is inclined at a predetermined angle in the vertical direction with respect to the sheet conveyance path. The inclination angle of the inclined surface portion 51c is set to an angle that is parallel to the sheet conveyance path when the cutter housing 51 moves along the return path.

  As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the rotating shaft 53 has a function of connecting the cutter housing 51 and the moving member 52. Further, the rotation shaft 53 has a central axis O (see FIG. 15) that rotates the cutter housing 51 in the sheet thickness direction with respect to the moving member 52. The drive roller 55 described above is fixed to the downstream end of the rotation shaft 53 in the sheet conveying direction so as to be integrally rotatable. Further, the upstream end portion of the rotation shaft 53 in the sheet conveying direction is rotatably held by a bearing portion 51b (see FIG. 11) of a cutter housing 51 described later.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the guide member 41 is a member that guides the movement of the moving member 52 in the sheet width direction. The guide member 41 extends in the sheet width direction and is set to be longer than at least the sheet conveyance width. A guide rail 61 and a lower guide rail 62 spaced from the upper guide rail 61 in the vertical direction from the sheet conveyance path are provided. The upper guide rail 61 is disposed below the moving member 52. Further, as shown in FIG. 4A, the guide member 41 includes an upper guide plate 63 above the upper guide rail 61. The upper guide plate 63 is disposed above the moving member 52. The guide member 41 forms the forward path of the cutter housing 51 on the upper guide rail 61 and forms the return path of the cutter housing 51 on the lower guide rail 62. Accordingly, the driven roller 51a of the cutter housing 51 moves on the upper guide rail 61 in the forward path when the sheet is cut, and moves on the lower guide rail 62 in the return path after the sheet is cut. The upper guide rail 61 and the lower guide rail 62 are configured by the same member, but are not limited thereto, and may be configured by different members.

  As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the upper guide rail 61 includes a drive roller guide region 61a that guides the drive roller 55 in the sheet width direction in parallel with the sheet conveyance direction, and a cutter housing 51. And a driven roller guide area 61b for guiding the driven roller 51a so as to move in the forward path. The drive roller guide region 61a and the driven roller guide region 61b are configured by the same rail of the upper guide rail 61, but are not limited thereto, and may be configured by different rails.

  A first communication path 61c for switching the path of the cutter housing 51 from the forward path to the return path is formed on one side of the driven roller guide area 61b in the sheet width direction. As shown in FIG. 6, the first communication path 61 c is formed in the upper guide rail 61 so as to communicate the forward path on the upper guide rail 61 and the return path on the lower guide rail 62. Specifically, the upper guide rail 61 is notched at a predetermined position on one side in the seat width direction, and the notched end is bent so as to be inclined downward at a predetermined angle. A passage 61c is formed. Thereby, the driven roller 51a can be moved from the upper guide rail 61 to the lower guide rail 62 after cutting the roll paper. Further, the lower end portion 61d of the upper guide rail 61 adjacent to the first communication path 61c is bent upward in order to avoid contact with the driven roller 51a moving on the return path.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, a moving mechanism 70 is provided on the other side of the driven roller guide region 61b in the sheet width direction. The moving mechanism 70 moves the driven roller 51a from the lower guide rail 62 to the upper guide rail 61 when the cutter housing 51 moves from the home position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 10 to the other in the seat width direction, that is, the cutter housing 51 is moved. This is a mechanism for returning to the roll paper cutting operation area.

  The moving mechanism 70 includes a second communication path 61e for communicating the return path on the lower guide rail 62 and the forward path on the upper guide rail 61, and a switching claw provided on the upper guide rail 61 adjacent to the second communication path 61e. 71.

  The second communication path 61e is formed by cutting out a predetermined portion on the other side of the upper guide rail 61 (see FIG. 4B).

  The switching claw 71 is rotatably provided between the return path and the second communication path 61e, that is, provided so as to be capable of circular movement in the forward and reverse directions within a predetermined angle range, and is illustrated so that the tip portion contacts the lower guide rail 62. It is always biased downward by a biasing member such as a coil spring. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, the switching claw 71 includes an urging member as shown by a broken line in FIG. 9 when the driven roller 51 a comes into contact with the cutter housing 51 when the cutter housing 51 moves on the other side in the sheet width direction. It is designed to rotate upward against the urging force. When the driven roller 51a further moves to the other side in the sheet width direction from this state, the switching claw 71 is released from contact with the driven roller 51a and is moved to the original position, that is, the position indicated by the solid line in the drawing. It comes to return. Furthermore, the switching claw 71 is inclined at a predetermined angle at a position indicated by a solid line in FIG. 10, the driven roller 51a can be moved from the lower guide rail 62 to the upper guide rail 61 via the switching claw 71 when the cutter housing 51 returns from the return path to the forward path. The switching claw 71 may be configured by a leaf spring. In this case, the urging member is not necessary.

  The lower guide rail 62 guides the driven roller 51a when the cutter housing 51 moves along the return path.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, the upper guide plate 63 has a first guide surface portion 63a and a second guide surface portion 63b that are disposed to face a pair of side surfaces 52a and 52b of the moving member 52 described later. ing. The first guide surface portion 63 a is bent downward in an L shape with respect to the upper guide plate 63 and is integrally connected to the upper guide rail 61. In the present embodiment, the upper guide plate 63 and the upper guide rail 61 are integrally configured via the first guide surface portion 63a. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the upper guide plate 63 and the upper guide rail 61 are separated from each other. You may comprise.

  Similarly to the first guide surface portion 63a, the second guide surface portion 63b is bent in an L shape downward with respect to the upper guide plate 63 and extends downward by a predetermined length. Here, the predetermined length that the second guide surface portion 63b extends is a length that can secure a region that can be contacted by each contact portion 54d of the moving member 52 described later.

  Next, the operation of the sheet cutting device 5 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, as shown in FIG. 10, before the roll paper 30 is cut, the cutter housing 51 is located at the home position on the other side in the sheet width direction (position indicated by a solid line in FIG. 10). Next, when receiving an instruction to cut the sheet, the cutter housing 51 rotates from the home position to the roll paper cutting operation region (indicated by a broken line in FIG. 10) by the drive roller 55 being rotationally driven via the wire 42 (see FIG. 3). After moving to the position shown, the forward path is moved to one side in the sheet width direction. At this time, the roll paper 30 is cut by the cutter 50 in accordance with the movement of the cutter housing 51.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6, when the cutter housing 51 moves across the sheet conveyance path to the one in the sheet width direction, the cutting of the roll paper 30 is finished. Then, the cutter housing 51 moved to one side in the sheet width direction is moved downward in the vertical direction with the rotation shaft 53 (see FIG. 4A) of the drive roller 55 as a fulcrum to switch the movement path from the forward path to the return path. It rotates by its own weight. Specifically, the driven roller 51a that has moved on the upper guide rail 61 reaches the first communication path 61c, and the driven roller 51a moves from the upper guide rail 61 to the lower guide rail 62 via the first communication path 61c. To do. At this time, as shown in FIG. 7, only the driven roller 51 a moves to the lower guide rail 62 due to the weight of the cutter housing 51 while the drive roller 55 is maintained on the upper guide rail 61. As a result, the cutter housing 51 that overlaps with the sheet conveyance path indicated by the broken line in the drawing rotates and moves in the return path, that is, retracts from the sheet conveyance path (the position indicated by the broken line in FIG. 6). Become.

  Thereafter, based on position detection by a micro switch (not shown) provided on one side in the sheet width direction, the drive of the wire 42 (see FIG. 3) is reversed, and the rotational drive of the drive roller 55 is the reverse of the forward drive. Is done. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8, the cutter housing 51 moves toward the other side in the sheet width direction in a posture retracted from the sheet conveyance path. At this time, the inclined surface 51c is parallel to the sheet conveyance path, and unlike the forward path, the cutter housing 51 is retracted downward from the sheet conveyance path. For this reason, even when the cutter housing 51 is moving on the return path, the roll paper 30 can be conveyed via the sheet conveyance path, and productivity can be improved. Further, contact between the cutter 50 and the cut roll paper 30 can be avoided, and problems such as cut jam can be prevented.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 9, when the cutter housing 51 moves to the other side in the sheet width direction and reaches the vicinity of the moving mechanism 70, the driven roller 51 a contacts the switching claw 71. Then, the driven roller 51a pushes up the switching claw 71 in accordance with the movement of the cutter housing 51 as shown by the broken line in the drawing, and from the return path side (the right side of the switching claw 71 in FIG. 9) to the other side in the sheet width direction, It moves to the second communication path 61e side (the left side of the switching claw 71 in FIG. 9). When the driven roller 51a moves to the second communication path 61e side, the switching claw 71 is released from contact with the driven roller 51a and is returned to the original position, that is, the position indicated by the solid line in the figure by the urging member.

  Thereby, a series of reciprocating operations in the sheet width direction of the cutter housing 51 is completed. When there is a subsequent roll paper 30, the above-described series of reciprocating operations are repeatedly executed.

  Next, details of the cutter housing 51 and the moving member 52 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIGS. 11A, 11B, and 12, the cutter housing 51 has a bearing portion 51b that supports the rotating shaft 53. The bearing portion 51b is located downstream of the cutting position (the direction indicating the forward path in FIG. 11A), which is the moving direction of the cutter housing 51, with respect to the storage position C of the cutter 50 (see FIG. 13). It is provided below the position C. The cutter housing 51 is rotatably connected to the rotary shaft 53 via a bearing portion 51b.

  The cutter housing 51 has a transmission member 80 capable of transmitting a rotational driving force to the cutter 50 (see FIG. 13). The transmission member 80 includes a pulley 81, an endless belt 82, and a pulley 83.

  The pulley 81 is attached to the rotating shaft 53 so as to be integrally rotatable. The pulley 83 is rotatably attached to the shaft 51 e of the cutter housing 51. Here, on the upstream side of the pulley 83 in the sheet conveying direction, a gear portion 83 a that meshes with a gear (not shown) provided inside the cutter housing 51 is formed. The gear portion 83a can transmit a rotational driving force to the cutter 50 (see FIG. 13) by meshing with a gear (not shown). Further, the endless belt 82 is wound around the pulley 81 and the pulley 83.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 13, the drive roller 55 rotates according to the movement of the moving member 52 in the sheet width direction, and the rotational driving force is transmitted via the rotary shaft 53, the pulley 81, the endless belt 82, and the pulley 83. It is transmitted to the cutter 50. Thereby, the circular blades 50a and 50b rotate.

  As shown in FIGS. 11A, 11B, and 14, the moving member 52 includes an auxiliary roller 56, an urging roller 57, and an urging member in addition to the main body 54 and the driving roller 55 described above. 57a.

  The main body 54 rotatably supports the driving roller 55 by supporting the rotating shaft 53. The rotating shaft 53 is rotatably attached to the bearing portion 51 b of the cutter housing 51. The main body 54 is disposed between the upper guide rail 61 and the upper guide plate 63 so as to be movable in the sheet width direction (see FIG. 4).

  As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the upstream end and downstream end (both ends in the sheet width direction) of the main body 54 share one side surface with the main body 54, and the upstream side in the cutting direction. And the protrusion part 54a which protruded in each of the downstream is formed. Each protrusion 54a is provided with a hook 54b to which the wire 42 is hooked. In the present embodiment, the wire 42 is used as a member that pulls the moving member 52. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and for example, an end timing belt may be used. In this case, the end portion of the timing belt is fixed in a state of being prevented from coming off by the protruding portion 54a. By using the timing belt, it is possible to suppress slipping during towing as compared with the wire 42.

  Further, on the side surface of the protruding portion 54a opposite to the side where the latching portion 54b is provided, there is a microswitch inclined surface 54c inclined at a predetermined inclination angle so as to come into contact with a microswitch lever portion (not shown). Is formed. The microswitch is attached to the first guide surface portion 63a (see FIG. 7) so that the lever portion contacts the microswitch inclined surface 54c, and detects the presence or absence of the moving member 52. In the present embodiment, the latching portion 54b is provided on the protruding portion 54a. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the latching portion 54b may be provided directly on the main body 54. Further, the wire 42 may be directly attached to the main body 54.

  In addition, the main body 54 is provided with protruding contact portions 54d protruding outward from the main body at the four upper portions of each side surface facing the first guide surface portion 63a and the second guide surface portion 63b. Each contact portion 54d is configured to contact, that is, contact, the first guide surface portion 63a and the second guide surface portion 63b. The contact portion 54d contacts the first guide surface portion 63a and the second guide surface portion 63b, thereby preventing the moving member 52 from tilting or swinging in the sheet conveyance direction when moving in the sheet width direction. be able to. In the present embodiment, the contact portion 54d is formed in a protruding shape, but the present invention is not limited to this, and may be constituted by a roller, for example.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the auxiliary roller 56 is rotatably attached to the pair of snap fit portions 54f. In the present embodiment, the auxiliary roller 56 is composed of two rollers. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the auxiliary roller 56 may be composed of one roller wide in the sheet conveying direction.

  The urging roller 57 has a roller shaft 57b, and is rotatably attached to the bearing portion 54g via the roller shaft 57b. The roller shaft 57b is held so as to be movable in the vertical direction within the bearing portion 54g, and the roller shaft 57b is moved upward by a predetermined amount or more by the locking portions 54h formed inside both side surfaces of the main body 54 in the sheet conveying direction. Being regulated. The locking portion 54h has a claw shape with an upper end portion protruding to the inside of the main body. Moreover, the notch is formed in the both sides of the latching | locking part 54h. Further, an elastic member 91 described later is attached to the locking portion 54h.

  The urging member 57a is constituted by a so-called double torsion type coil spring, and one end is fixed to the main body 54, and the other end (free end) contacts the roller shaft 57b of the urging roller 57 from below. It has become. Therefore, the urging member 57a presses the urging roller 57 against the lower surface of the upper guide plate 63 (see FIG. 4) by urging the roller shaft 57b upward. Further, in this embodiment, the auxiliary roller 56 is disposed on the upstream side in the cutting direction and the urging roller 57 is disposed on the downstream side in the cutting direction. However, these arrangements may be reversed.

  The auxiliary roller 56 and the urging roller 57 are in contact with the lower surface of the upper guide plate 63 and rotate.

  Next, with reference to FIGS. 15 to 18A and 18B, a configuration for suppressing a change in the posture of the cutter housing 51 when the sheet is cut will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 15, a receiving portion 90 is provided at the end of the cutter housing 51 in the cutting direction. Specifically, the receiving portion 90 is provided on the downstream side in the cutting direction of the cutter housing 51 when the sheet is cut with respect to the rotating shaft 53.

  As shown in FIG. 16A, the receiving portion 90 has a receiving surface 90 a on the side facing the moving member 52. The receiving surface 90a is an inclined surface that is inclined in a separating direction (a direction indicated by an arrow D in the drawing) that gradually moves away from the moving member 52 as it goes downward in the drawing. An elastic member 91 described later comes into contact with the receiving surface 90a.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 15, the moving member 52 is provided with an elastic member 91. Specifically, the elastic member 91 is provided on the downstream side in the cutting direction with respect to the rotating shaft 53. The elastic member 91 is configured by a metal leaf spring that is folded back at an intermediate portion.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 16A, the elastic member 91 is used when the cutter housing 51 is in the posture when cutting the sheet (the state shown in FIG. 16A) and when the cutter housing 51 is separated from the sheet conveying path. In any case when the retracted posture (the state shown in FIG. 16B) is reached, the receiving surface 90a is contacted. Therefore, the elastic member 91 applies an elastic force to the receiving portion 90 in the separating direction (the direction indicated by the arrow D in the figure). Here, the state of the receiving portion 90 and the elastic member 91 when the cutter housing 51 is in the sheet cutting posture is referred to as a fluctuation suppression state, and the receiving when the cutter housing 51 is retracted from the sheet conveyance path. The state of the part 90 and the elastic member 91 is referred to as a released state.

  In the fluctuation suppression state, as will be described later, fluctuations in the posture of the cutter housing 51 during sheet cutting are suppressed. On the other hand, in the released state, the suppression of the variation in the posture of the cutter housing 51 is released as will be described later. Further, the fluctuation suppression state and the release state are switched when the elastic force of the elastic member 91 with respect to the receiving surface 90a changes according to the rotation of the cutter housing 51.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, since the receiving surface 90a is inclined so that the distance between the receiving surface 90a and the elastic member 91 is different between the fluctuation suppressed state and the released state, it acts on the receiving surface 90a when the variation is suppressed. The elastic force of the elastic member 91 is maximized. In other words, the elastic member 91 applies the maximum elastic force to the receiving portion 90 in the separation direction (the direction indicated by the arrow D in the drawing) when the fluctuation is suppressed. As a result, the elastic member 91 can cause the cutter housing 51 to act on the cutter housing 51 with a maximum elastic force, that is, an elastic force for suppressing a change in the posture of the cutter housing 51 when the fluctuation member is in a state where the fluctuation is suppressed.

  As shown in FIG. 17 (a), the elastic member 91 has a contact portion 91a that bulges in a spherical shape in the separation direction indicated by the arrow D (hereinafter simply referred to as the separation direction D) at the free end side. Have. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 16A, when the elastic member 91 contacts the receiving surface 90a, the contact portion 91a makes point contact with the receiving surface 90a. At this time, the contact position between the receiving surface 90 a and the contact portion 91 a is below the center axis O of the rotation shaft 53. The contact portion 91a is not limited to a spherical shape, and may be any shape as long as it makes point contact.

  The elastic member 91 has a bent portion 91b that is bent in a concave shape in the direction opposite to the separating direction D on the base end side. The bent portion 91b is attached to the locking portion 54h of the moving member 52 as shown in FIG. Specifically, the bent portion 91b contacts the locking portion 54h from the inside of the main body 54 of the moving member 52, and the upper end of the bent portion 91b hits the claw shape of the locking portion 54h from below. . Further, as shown in FIG. 18B, the distal end portion of the base end side of the elastic member 91 abuts against the contact portion 54d from the outside of the main body 54 from below. Thereby, the elastic member 91 is attached to the moving member 52 via the bending part 91b. At this time, the bent portion 91b is interposed between the roller shaft 57b and the locking portion 54h over the entire movable range of the roller shaft 57b. Therefore, the vertical movement of the roller shaft 57b is not hindered by the bent portion 91b.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 17B, the elastic member 91 has an angled shape so that the free end side is located below the base end side in the figure. This is because the contact portion 91a can push the lower side of the receiving surface 90a. The receiving portion 90 and the elastic member 91 in the present embodiment constitute a suppressing means according to the present invention.

  Next, the operation of the receiving portion 90 and the elastic member 91 will be described with reference to FIGS. 15, 16A, and 16B.

  FIGS. 15 and 16A show the state of the cutter unit 40 during the forward movement, that is, when the sheet is cut, and shows a state where the receiving portion 90 and the elastic member 91 are in a fluctuation suppressing state. FIG. 16B shows the state of the cutter unit 40 during the backward movement, and shows a state where the receiving portion 90 and the elastic member 91 are in the released state. Further, in FIG. 16A, CP indicates a contact position, that is, a cutting position between the cutter 50 (see FIG. 13) and the roll paper 30 (see FIG. 2).

  As shown in FIG. 16A, when the sheet is cut, the contact portion 91a of the elastic member 91 is in contact with the receiving surface 90a. At this time, the elastic member 91 presses the receiving surface 90a in the separating direction D with the maximum elastic force. Further, the contact position between the receiving surface 90 a and the contact portion 91 a at this time is lower than the central axis O of the rotation shaft 53. Further, as shown in FIG. 15, the elastic member 91 is provided on the downstream side in the cutting direction with respect to the rotating shaft 53. For this reason, when the sheet is cut, a moment acts on the cutter housing 51 in the direction opposite to the separating direction D. Specifically, the moment acts so that the cutting position CP is pressed in the direction opposite to the separation direction D with the bearing portion 51b of the cutter housing 51 as a fulcrum.

  Accordingly, the posture of the cutter housing 51 is suppressed from changing in the separation direction D with respect to the moving member 52, and the posture of the cutter housing 51 is suppressed from being inclined in the separation direction D. Therefore, in the present embodiment, fluctuations in the posture of the cutter housing 51 are suppressed during sheet cutting. Note that the change in the attitude of the cutter housing 51 includes the inclination of the cutter housing 51 in the separating direction D in addition to the change in the attitude of the cutter housing 51 in the separating direction D with respect to the moving member 52 as described above. .

  Next, after cutting the sheet, the cutter unit 40 moves to the state shown in FIG. At this time, since the receiving surface 90a is formed of an inclined surface inclined in the separation direction D, the distance between the receiving surface 90 and the elastic member 91 increases as the cutter housing 51 rotates. For this reason, as the cutter housing 51 rotates, the elastic force of the elastic member 91 acting on the receiving surface 90a gradually decreases, and eventually the elastic force is applied even if the receiving surface 90a and the contact portion 91a are in contact with each other. The amount of displacement of the elastic member 91 becomes small until it hardly acts. At this time, the receiving surface 90a and the contact portion 91a may be in a non-contact state so that elastic force is not applied.

  In this way, during the backward movement without cutting the roll paper 30 (see FIG. 2), even if the posture of the cutter housing 51 changes, the cutting of the roll paper 30 is not affected. There is no need to act. Further, when the cutter housing 51 rotates, the receiving surface 90a is inclined so that the elastic force of the elastic member 91 gradually increases or decreases, so that the resistance when the cutter housing 51 rotates is reduced. can do. On the other hand, when the forward movement is performed, that is, when the sheet is cut, the elastic force of the elastic member 91 is applied to suppress the change in the posture of the cutter housing 51.

  As described above, since the sheet cutting device according to the present embodiment includes the receiving portion 90 and the elastic member 91 that suppress the change in the posture of the cutter housing 51 when cutting the sheet, the cutter housing is caused by the cutting load during sheet cutting. It can suppress that the attitude | position of 51 changes. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the roll paper 30 from being bent and cut due to a change in the posture of the cutter housing 51 during sheet cutting.

  Further, the sheet cutting device according to the present embodiment can suppress a change in the posture of the cutter housing 51 during sheet cutting with a simple configuration using the receiving portion 90 and the elastic member 91.

  Further, in the sheet cutting device according to the present embodiment, the fluctuation suppression state and the release state are switched by changing the elastic force of the elastic member 91 with respect to the receiving surface 90a according to the rotation of the cutter housing 51. The elastic force of the elastic member 91 for suppressing the change in the posture of 51 acts only when the sheet is cut. Therefore, it can be suppressed that the elastic force becomes a load when the cutter housing 51 rotates. Thus, the sheet cutting device according to the present embodiment can reduce the load when the cutter housing 51 rotates.

  In the sheet cutting device according to the present embodiment, since the receiving surface 90a is an inclined surface, a step or the like is provided between the receiving surface 90a and the contact portion 91a when the cutter housing 51 rotates. The load caused by the is not applied. Therefore, switching between the fluctuation suppression state and the release state can be performed smoothly.

  In addition, since the sheet cutting device according to the present embodiment is configured such that the contact portion 91a is in point contact with the receiving surface 90a, the elastic member 91 is reliably attached to the receiving surface 90a even if the receiving surface 90a is configured as an inclined surface. Can be contacted. Furthermore, when the cutter housing 51 rotates, the side end of the elastic member 91 is not caught on the receiving surface 90a, and the changeover state and the release state can be smoothly switched.

  In the present embodiment, the example in which the receiving portion 90 and the elastic member 91 are provided as a configuration that suppresses the change in the posture of the cutter housing 51 during sheet cutting has been described. It is good also as a structure shown in FIG.

  A modification of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 19, the cutter unit 40 of the present modification includes a first fluctuation suppressing member 101 and a second fluctuation suppressing member 102. Both the first fluctuation suppressing member 101 and the second fluctuation suppressing member 102 are made of resin. The first variation suppressing member 101 and the second variation suppressing member 102 in the present modification constitute a suppressing unit according to the present invention.

  The first fluctuation suppressing member 101 is attached to a boss portion 103 having a shaft that rotatably supports the driven roller 51a so as not to be relatively rotatable. As shown in FIG. 20, the first fluctuation suppressing member 101 has a concave portion 101a that sandwiches an upper guide plate 63 having a second guide surface portion 63b from below. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 22A, the first fluctuation suppressing member 101 is configured such that the recess 101a sandwiches the upper guide plate 63 when the cutter housing 51 is in the roll paper cutting operation region. A tapered surface is formed at the upper end of the recess 101a so that the upper guide plate 63 can be securely sandwiched when the cutter housing 51 is rotated to the state shown in FIG. Thereby, even if the cutter housing 51 is swung due to factors such as component tolerance, the upper guide plate 63 can be securely sandwiched in the recess 101a.

  As shown in FIG. 19, the second fluctuation suppressing member 102 is fixed to the cutter housing 51 via a fastening member. The second fluctuation suppressing member 102 may be integrally formed with the cutter housing 51. As shown in FIG. 21, the second fluctuation suppressing member 102 includes a first recess 102a for sandwiching the upper guide plate 63 between the cutter housing 51 and the moving member 52, and a second recess 102b. ing. As shown in FIG. 22B, the first recess 102a is configured to sandwich the upper guide plate 63 when the cutter unit 40 moves along the return path. As shown in FIG. 22A, the second recess 102b sandwiches the upper guide plate 63 when the cutter housing 51 is in the roll paper cutting operation region. As described above, in the second fluctuation suppressing member 102, either the first recess 102a or the second recess 102b always holds the upper guide plate 63 even when the cutter housing 51 rotates. Therefore, the upper guide plate 63 can be securely sandwiched between the first concave portion 102a or the second concave portion 102b even if the cutter housing 51 fluctuates due to factors such as component tolerance. In addition, the 1st recessed part 102a and the 2nd recessed part 102b may have the taper surface formed in the upper end part similarly to the recessed part 101a.

  Also in this modification, the same effect as this embodiment can be obtained.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the cutter housing 51 is retracted downward in the vertical direction. However, for example, when the sheet cutting device 5 is not installed horizontally with respect to the apparatus main body 1a, the sheet cutting device. The roll paper 30 may be retracted in the thickness direction according to the inclination of 5. Further, the cutter housing may be retracted upward in the vertical direction. In this case, the guide member is disposed above the sheet conveyance path, the forward path of the cutter housing is provided on the lower guide rail, and the return path is provided on the upper guide rail. Therefore, after the cutter housing moves on the forward path during the sheet cutting operation, the driven roller moves onto the upper guide rail via a moving mechanism (not shown) corresponding to the moving mechanism 70 in the present embodiment. As a result, the cutter housing is retracted from the sheet conveyance path and can move on the return path. The cutter housing that has moved on the return path has a posture capable of cutting the sheet by the driven roller moving on the lower guide rail through a communication path (not shown) corresponding to the first communication path 61c in the present embodiment. Even in the above configuration, the same effect as in the present embodiment can be obtained.

1 Inkjet recording device (image forming device)
2 Image forming unit (image forming means)
3 Sheet transport section (sheet transport means)
5 Sheet cutting device 30 Roll paper (sheet)
40 Cutter unit 50 Cutter 50a, 50b Circular cutter (blade part)
51 Cutter housing 52 Moving member 53 Rotating shaft (connecting member)
90 Receiving part (suppression means)
90a Receiving surface 91 Elastic member (suppressing means)
91a Contact part 91b Bending part 101 1st fluctuation | variation suppression member (suppression means)
102 2nd fluctuation | variation suppression member (suppression means)
O Center axis

JP 2009-214200 A

Claims (7)

A sheet cutting device that cuts a sheet conveyed along a conveyance path into a predetermined length,
A cutter housing for accommodating a cutter comprising blade portions disposed opposite to each other via the sheet;
A moving member that is provided apart from the cutter housing in the conveying direction of the sheet and is movable in a width direction orthogonal to the conveying direction;
A connecting member having a central axis for connecting the cutter housing and the moving member and rotating the cutter housing in the thickness direction of the seat with respect to the moving member;
Suppression means for suppressing fluctuations in the posture of the cutter housing when cutting the sheet ,
The sheet cutting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the suppressing unit suppresses a change in posture of the cutter housing in a separating direction that is separated from the moving member . The sheet cutting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the suppressing unit suppresses the posture of the cutter housing from being inclined in the separation direction. The said suppressing means has a receiving part provided in the said cutter housing, and an elastic member which contacts the said receiving part and provides an elastic force with respect to the said receiving part in the said separation direction, The sheet cutting apparatus according to 1 or 2 . 3. The sheet cutting device according to claim 1, wherein the suppressing unit is provided downstream of the connecting member in the moving direction of the cutter housing when the sheet is cut. 4. The sheet cutting device according to claim 3, wherein the suppressing unit is provided on the downstream side in the moving direction of the cutter housing when the sheet is cut with respect to the connection member. The sheet cutting device according to claim 3 , wherein a contact position between the receiving portion and the elastic member is lower than the central axis. An image forming apparatus comprising the sheet cutting device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
Image forming means for forming an image on a sheet;
An image forming apparatus comprising: a sheet conveying unit configured to convey the sheet on which the image is formed to the sheet cutting device.

Images