JP6332950B2 - Printing device and cutting device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus and a cutting apparatus, and in particular, a printing apparatus including a printing unit that performs a printing process on a flexible long recording medium, and a cutting unit that performs a cutting process on the recording medium, and The present invention relates to a cutting apparatus that performs a cutting process on a recording medium.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, printing apparatuses such as printers that perform a printing process on a flexible long recording medium such as a tube and cut a recording medium are widely known. In this type of printing apparatus, a conveyance path for conveying a recording medium is provided, and a printing unit prints characters and the like on the recording medium, and a cutting unit provided downstream of the printing unit in the recording medium conveyance direction. The recording medium is cut to a desired length by a (cutting device). Further, this type of printing apparatus generally includes a control unit that controls printing processing of the printing unit and cutting processing of the cutting unit based on the input print information and cutting information.

  In such a printing apparatus, since the recording medium is long and flexible, various techniques have been conventionally disclosed in relation to the structure of the cutter and the cutting portion having the cutter receiver.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a conductive cutter, a conductive platen disposed opposite to the cutter, a potential difference generating unit provided between the cutter and the platen and generating a potential difference, and a potential difference generation A cutting apparatus including a detection unit that detects that the cutter and the platen are energized based on a potential difference between the units is disclosed.

  Further, in Patent Document 2, as a technique related to the present invention, a half-cut surface and a full-cut surface, which are arranged at a position facing the cutter blade and have a restricting portion (ridge) that regulates the amount of movement of the cutter blade, There is disclosed a cutting apparatus and a printing apparatus provided with a cutter blade receiver having a cutter blade cutter driving means for moving the cutter blade receiver and switching a receiving surface corresponding to the cutter blade.

  Further, in Patent Document 3, as a technique related to the present invention, a pressing member (torsion coil spring) that holds the print tape until the cutter blade is completely detached from the tape substrate after the tape substrate is cut with the cutter blade, A printing tape half-cutting device provided adjacent to the vicinity of the printing tape is disclosed.

JP 2007-44800 A (refer to claim 1 and FIG. 2) JP 2002-137864 A (refer to claim 1 and FIG. 4) JP 2002-255434 A (refer to claim 1 and FIG. 4)

  By the way, in Patent Document 1 described above, a technique for detecting the contact between the cutter blade and the platen is disclosed in order to detect whether or not the sheet-like recording medium has been reliably cut. It is difficult to apply to detect whether or not the tubular recording medium has been reliably cut. That is, for example, since the tube-shaped recording medium has a circular or elliptical cross section, when the cutting edge of the cutter blade comes into contact with the recording medium (the circumferential surface thereof), the posture of the tube-shaped recording medium is affected. Also, there is a concern that the cutter blade may be inclined when cutting the recording medium (not parallel to the receiving member (receiving surface) that receives the cutting edge of the cutter blade) (FIG. 9, reference numeral 31). As a result, the cutting edge of the cutter blade and the receiving member (receiving surface) for receiving it come into contact with each other at only one point, so that erroneous detection occurs when detecting whether or not the tubular recording medium is surely cut. There is a fear. In addition, this tendency (the posture of the cutter blade becomes oblique) becomes more prominent as the length of the blade edge of the cutter blade is set shorter in order to reduce the size of the apparatus. That is, the length of the cutting edge of the cutter blade for cutting the sheet-like recording medium as in Patent Document 1 is generally set to be longer than the length in the width direction of the A4 size paper, but the standard diameter of a commercial product of the tube-like recording medium. Is about 6 mm, and the length of the cutting edge of the cutter blade for cutting such a recording medium is at most 50 mm. Therefore, when the cutter blade cuts the recording medium, the posture of the cutter blade is maintained by its own weight or inertia force (hard) It is difficult to advance the cutter blade in parallel when abutting against the recording member.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus and a cutting apparatus that can detect whether or not a recording medium other than a sheet-like recording medium has been cut.

In order to solve the above-described problems, a first aspect of the present invention is a printing apparatus, which is a printing path for conveying a flexible long recording medium, and performs a printing process on the recording medium. As a receiving surface for the cutting edge of the cutter blade, which is provided on the downstream side of the printing unit in the recording medium conveyance direction of the printing unit, and has a cutter blade, and is opposed to the cutter via the conveyance path. a cutter receiving having at least two portions of the conductive member and a non-conductive member and the whole cut surface and half cut surface having grooves formed between at least two positions of the conductive member flat surface is formed by the the towards the cutter receiving the cutter or the cutter receiving with positioning the entire cutting face and the half cutting surface at a position opposite to the cutter and a drive means for moving toward the cutter, the recording A cutting unit that performs a cutting process on the body, and a control unit that controls the printing process of the printing unit and the cutting process of the cutting unit based on the input print information and cutting information, and a cutter blade of the cutter, Either one of the receiving surfaces of the cutter receiver is made of a conductive member and a predetermined voltage is applied, and the other is made of a non-conductive member and is conductive at least on two surfaces of the surface or the blade edge. Members are arranged, and the control unit determines whether or not one of the conductive members arranged in the at least two places comes into contact according to the voltage of the conductive members arranged in the at least two places. In the case of affirmative determination, it is determined that the cutting process of the recording medium by the cutting unit is successful.

  In this aspect, one of the cutter blade of the cutter and the receiving surface of the cutter receiver is made of a conductive member and a predetermined voltage is applied, and the other is made of a non-conductive member and its surface or its blade edge Conductive members are arranged in at least two spaced locations. When a cutting process is performed on the recording medium by the cutting unit, the cutter moves the cutter toward the cutter receiver or the cutter receiver toward the cutter. In this moving operation, the cutter blade and the cutter receiver are moved. If the receiving surface is parallel (if the cutter blade is not slanted), the conductive member is disposed at least one of either the cutter blade or the cutter receiving surface and the other receiving surface. Are in contact with each other and energized, and the conductive members disposed in at least two of the other have substantially the same potential as the predetermined voltage applied to the cutter blade. For this reason, according to the voltage of the electroconductive member distribute | arranged to the other at least 2 places of any other, the control part contacted the electroconductive member distribute | arranged to any one and at least 2 places of any other If the determination is affirmative, that is, if the cutter blade of the cutter and the receiving surface of the cutter receiver are in parallel contact with each other, it is determined that the cutting process of the recording medium by the cutting unit has been successful.

  In the first aspect, the conductive members disposed at least at two positions are disposed at at least one position on both sides of the cutter blade's cutting edge center position, or the cutting blade's cutting edge length. It is preferable that it is arranged at least at one position on both sides of the position of the receiving surface corresponding to the center position in the direction. One of them is a cutter blade of the cutter, and the other is a receiving surface of the cutter receiver, and the cutter receiver has a holding member and a receiving member that is detachable from the holding member and has a receiving surface. The conductive member is disposed at at least two places where the receiving surface is spaced apart, and the conductive member is disposed on the holding member corresponding to the conductive member disposed at at least two places on the receiving surface, By attaching the receiving member to the holding member, the conductive member arranged on the receiving surface and the connecting member arranged on the holding member may be electrically connected to each other. In this case, the cutter includes a holder that holds the cutter blade, a bracket that detachably holds the holder, and a conductive contact member that is fixed to the bracket and that contacts the cutter blade and applies a predetermined voltage. And the cutter blade and the contact member may be energized by attaching the holder to the bracket.

  Further, in the first aspect, the control unit determines whether or not one of the conductive members arranged in at least two places is in contact with the voltage of the conductive member arranged in at least two places. In the case of a negative determination, the driving means is controlled so as to push the cutter toward the cutter receiver or the cutter receiver further toward the cutter, and depending on the voltage of the conductive member arranged at least in two places It may be determined again whether or not one of the conductive members arranged in at least two places has come into contact, and in the case of an affirmative determination, it may be determined that the cutting process of the recording medium by the cutting unit has been successful. In this case, the cutting unit is further provided on the upstream side in the recording medium conveyance direction and further includes a conveyance unit that conveys the recording medium, and the control unit is in contact with one of the conductive members disposed at least at two locations. In the case where the determination again whether or not is a negative determination, when the cutting process of the cutting unit is a full cut indicating that the print medium is completely cut, the cutter is directed to the cutter receiver or the cutter receiver is directed to the cutter In a state in which the driving unit is controlled to be further pushed in, the recording unit may be processed by tearing the recording medium by controlling the conveying unit so as to convey the recording medium in the direction opposite to the recording medium conveying direction. The control unit also includes an AND circuit that outputs a high level signal when the voltages of the conductive members disposed at least at two locations are all at a high level, and the signal output from the AND circuit is high. In the case of the level signal, it may be determined that the cutting process of the recording medium by the cutting unit is successful.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a second aspect of the present invention is a cutting apparatus, a conveyance path for conveying a long recording medium having flexibility, a cutter having a cutter blade, An all-cut surface in which a flat surface is formed by at least two conductive members and a non-conductive member as a receiving surface with respect to the cutting edge of the cutter blade disposed at a position facing the cutter via the conveyance path ; A cutter receiver having a half-cut surface in which a groove is formed between at least two conductive members; and positioning the full-cut surface or the half-cut surface at a position facing the cutter, and using the cutter as the cutter receiver. Driving means for moving the cutter receiver toward or toward the cutter, a cutting unit for cutting the recording medium, and cutting processing of the cutting unit based on the input cutting information. A control unit, wherein either one of the cutter blade of the cutter and the receiving surface of the cutter receiver is made of a conductive member and a predetermined voltage is applied, and the other is made of a non-conductive member. Conductive members are disposed on at least two places on the surface or on the edge of the blade, and the controller is configured to control either one of the at least two and the at least two in accordance with the voltage of the conductive member disposed on the at least two places. It is determined whether or not the conductive member disposed at the location has come into contact, and in the case of an affirmative determination, it is determined that the cutting process of the recording medium by the cutting unit has been successful. In the second aspect, the same effects as in the first aspect are achieved.

According to the present invention, the control unit makes contact between one of the conductive members disposed in at least two of the other and the conductive member disposed in at least two of the other. In the case of an affirmative determination, that is, when the cutter blade of the cutter and the entire cut surface or half cut surface of the cutter receiver contact in parallel, the cutting process of the recording medium by the cutting unit is successful. Therefore, it is possible to obtain an effect that it is possible to reliably detect whether the recording medium is a recording medium other than the sheet-like recording medium.

1 is an external view of a printer according to an embodiment to which the present invention is applicable. The attachment which can be mounted | worn with the attachment part of the printer of embodiment is shown, (a) is a label cassette, (b) shows the top view of the attachment for tubes. 1 is an external perspective view including a partially exploded perspective view of a cutting unit of a printer according to an embodiment. It is a disassembled perspective view of the cutter receiving member of the cutting part of the printer of an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a control unit and a connection system of the printer according to the embodiment. It is a circuit diagram of an energization detection circuit connected to the control unit of the printer of the embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the cut process which CPU of the control part of the printer of embodiment performs. 4A and 4B are operation explanatory diagrams of the cutter of the printer according to the embodiment, where FIG. 5A shows a standby position, FIG. 5B shows a first operation position, and FIG. 5C shows a second operation position. . It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the relationship between the cutter blade and receiving surface of the cutting part of the printer of embodiment, (a) is the 1st and 2nd by which the blade edge | tip of the cutter blade was distribute | arranged to the receiving surface of the cutter receiving member. (B) is a state where the cutting edge of the cutter blade is separated from the receiving surface of the cutter receiving member, and (c) is a state where the cutting edge of the cutter blade is arranged on the receiving surface of the cutter receiving member. The state which contacted only the 1st electroconductive member is each shown.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a printer that prints arbitrary characters on a recording medium such as a tube and performs a cutting process will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Constitution)
<Overall configuration>
As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 1 according to the present embodiment is configured to be portable like a notebook computer, and roughly includes an input unit 13 having a keyboard and an input control unit, an LCD, and a display control unit. The printing unit 20 that forms the display unit 14 and the thermal head 6 and selectively heats a plurality of heating elements arranged in the main scanning direction to perform printing processing on the recording medium, downstream of the printing unit 20 in the recording medium conveyance direction A cutting unit 30 that cuts the recording medium, and a control unit 15 (see FIG. 5) that controls these units. Further, the printer 1 is formed with a conveyance path P for conveying the recording medium.

<Input section>
The input unit 13 has function keys, letters / numbers / symbol keys, a space key, a conversion key, a cross direction key, a return key, and the like, as in a notebook type computer, and an operator operates these keys. Thus, the print information and the cutting information can be set by inputting the type, size, printing / cutting conditions, and the like of the recording medium including the tube T.

<Display section>
The LCD of the display unit 14 includes various information display areas for displaying input modes and the like, character information display areas for displaying characters, numbers, and symbols (hereinafter abbreviated as characters) input from the input unit 13, character sizes, and the like. The parameter display area is divided into three display areas, and various information display areas and parameter display areas are respectively arranged above and below the character information display area.

  In the various information display areas, an input mode display for displaying (selecting) whether the input unit 13 is input in alphanumeric, romaji, or hiragana, and whether the input unit 13 is inserted or overwritten is input. Insert / Overwrite mode display (edit mode display), “Print medium type” display, and “Cut” for how to separate pages when printing multiple pages in a single print operation “Setting” (with or without half-cut, when there is no half-cut, the separator is a solid line, dotted line, or no separator), “Cut length” indicating the length of one tube (one label), Cut length / character placement / margin display to display “character placement” indicating whether the position is centering or left alignment and “margin” from the left end of the tube to the first character, another page before the currently displayed page But The previous page displayed when the current page is displayed, the next page displayed when there is another page after the currently displayed page, and an optional unit (tube feeder) to assist the transport of the tube is connected A tube feeder display for indicating whether the power is on, a power supply display for indicating that the power is on, and the like are displayed.

  In the parameter display area, the number of pages currently displayed is displayed as a number. The print orientation is “horizontal / horizontal”, “vertical / vertical”, or “vertical / horizontal”. Displays the orientation of the print that indicates whether to do it, the frame display that displays the shape of the selected frame when adding a frame to the character, the character size display that displays the selected character size, and the number of lines to be printed A display of the number of lines to be displayed, a character interval display for displaying the selected character interval, a continuous print display for displaying how many pages of the currently displayed character are copied and printed, and the like are displayed.

  On the other hand, in the character information display area, a character string of a character input from the input unit 13 (strictly, a character in which the input character data is displayed after a predetermined conversion) is displayed. In the character information display area, a cursor is displayed at a location where the operator intends to input (see FIG. 1).

<Printing section>
The printing unit 20 includes conveyance rollers 2 a and 2 b for conveying the recording medium, a platen roller 3 disposed opposite to the thermal head 6 on the downstream side of the conveyance rollers 2 a and 2 b, and on the downstream side of the platen roller 3. It has a pinch roller 4 disposed opposite to the platen roller 3.

  An ink ribbon R is interposed between the platen roller 3 and the thermal head 6. The ink ribbon R is supplied from the ribbon supply reel of the ink ribbon cassette 8 and is taken up by the ribbon take-up reel.

  On the upstream side of the transport rollers 2a and 2b, a stepping motor 5 for rotating the spool of the transport roller 2a, the platen roller 3 and the ribbon take-up reel of the ink ribbon cassette 8 via a gear (not shown) is disposed. 8 (left side in FIG. 1) and one side (lower side in FIG. 1) of the cutting part 30 are retracted from the conveyance path P via an arm 44 (see FIG. 3) described later. A stepping motor 9 that moves between the retracted position and the printing position that presses against the platen roller 3 is disposed.

  FIG. 1 shows a state where a tube T is mounted as a recording medium. Explaining in accordance with this example, at the time of printing, the thermal head 6 is pressed against the tube T with the ink ribbon R of the ink ribbon cassette 8 interposed therebetween, and the thermal head 6 is configured according to the print data input from the input unit 13. The ink on the ink ribbon R is melted by selectively generating heat from the heat generating element, and a character string is printed on the tube T line by line.

  Further, on the upstream side of the conveying rollers 2a and 2b and the downstream side of the pinch roller 4, a transmission integrated sensor for detecting the presence / absence of a recording medium and the leading end of the conveyed recording medium are arranged.

<Attachment part>
The printer 1 is configured to be able to perform printing processing and cutting processing on various media by changing the attachment attached to the attachment unit 10. FIG. 2 shows an example of the configuration of the label cassette and the tube attachment. For example, when the label cassette 11 shown in FIG. 2A is attached to the attachment unit 10, the label with release paper is pulled out from the inside of the cassette, and printing and cutting processing can be performed on the label. In addition, when the tube attachment 12 shown in FIG. 2B is attached to the attachment portion 10, the tube T can be printed and cut by inserting the tube T from the tube insertion port 12a. In the following description, the case where the tube attachment 12 is attached to the attachment unit 10 and the tube T is used as a print medium will be mainly described with reference to FIG.

<Cutting part>
As shown in FIG. 1, a cutting unit 30 that performs a cutting process on the tube T (recording medium) is disposed on the downstream side of the pinch roller 4.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the cutting unit 30 is disposed on the base frame 40, and has a plate-like cutter 30 A having a conductive (stainless steel in this example) cutter blade 31, and a conveyance path P. A cutter receiver 30B having a receiving surface (full cutting surface 51, half cutting surface 52, see FIG. 4) with respect to the cutting edge of the cutter blade 31, which is arranged at a position facing the cutter 30A, and the cutter 30A is moved toward the cutter receiver 30B. It is comprised with the drive part 30C.

1. Cutter 30A
The cutter blade 31 is slidably held back and forth (toward the receiving surface side of the cutter receiver 30B or the opposite direction) by a resin cutter holder 32. That is, a support protrusion is formed in the upper central portion inside the cutter holder 32 (the side in contact with the side surface of the cutter blade 31), and a torsion coil spring 33 is mounted on the support protrusion. One end portion of the torsion coil spring 33 is engaged with a hole formed near the center of the cutter blade 31, and the other end portion of the torsion coil spring 33 is engaged with a locking portion formed at the lower center portion inside the cutter holder 32. Is engaged. For this reason, the cutter blade 31 is urged rearward (in a direction opposite to the receiving surface side of the cutter receiver 30B) by the torsion coil spring 33.

  The cutter holder 32 is detachably held by a bracket 34 having a U-shaped cross section. A fixing pin insertion hole 35 is formed in the bracket 34, and a cylindrical and conductive (in this example, stainless steel) fixing pin 36 is fixed to the fixing pin insertion hole 35. On the other hand, a concave notch is formed at the center of the rear end side of the cutter blade 31 (on the side opposite to the cutting edge of the cutter blade 31). For this reason, when the cutter holder 32 is mounted so as to be inserted from above the bracket 34, the cutter blade 31 abuts against the fixed pin 36 so that the cutter blade 31 moves forward against the urging force of the torsion coil spring 33. When the cutter holder 32 is removed from the bracket 34, the cutter blade 31 is retracted by the urging force of the torsion coil spring 33, so that the cutting edge of the cutter blade 31 is not exposed from the cutter holder 32.

  One end of a lead wire 73 is connected to the fixing pin 36. The other end of the lead wire 73 is connected to an energization detection circuit 70, which will be described later, and the fixed pin 36 is supplied with a predetermined voltage (in this example, the operating voltage Vcc of the microcomputer constituting the control unit 15, FIG. Is applied). As described above, when the cutter holder 32 is mounted on the bracket 34, the fixed pin 36 contacts the rear end of the cutter blade 31, and thus a predetermined voltage is applied to the cutter blade 31.

  Accordingly, the cutter 30A is provided with a cutter holder 32 for holding the cutter blade 31, a bracket 34 for detachably holding the cutter holder 32, and a fixed voltage (Vcc) that is fixed to the bracket 34 and abuts against the cutter blade 31. When the cutter holder 32 is attached to the bracket 34, the cutter blade 31 and the fixing pin 36 are energized.

2. Cutter holder 30B
The cutter receiver 30 </ b> B is made of a resin non-conductive cutter receiver holding member 60 rotatably attached to a columnar column 61 erected on the base frame 40, and the cutter receiver holding member 60. And a detachable cutter receiving member 50.

  The cutter receiving and holding member 60 is provided with a first conductive connection member 62 and a second connection member 63 which are rectangular and conductive (made of stainless steel in this example) at two positions above and below the cutter 30A. Yes. One end of a lead wire 71 is connected to the first connection member 62, and one end of a lead wire 72 is connected to the second connection member 63. The other end of each of the lead wires 71 and 72 is connected to the energization detection circuit 70. Connected (see also FIG. 6).

  Also, a spring hook arm 64 is formed integrally with the lower side of the cutter receiving and holding member 60, and the other end of the spring hook arm 64 is locked with a spring stopper 65 which is erected by bending the base frame 40. One end of the spring 66 is locked.

  The cutter receiving member 50 is made of a non-conductive resin member (in this example, a molded product of acrylic resin or epoxy resin mixed with glass fiber), and has a polyhedral shape as shown in FIG. (In this example, it has six surfaces). Of these multiple faces (six faces), the second face is a full cut face 51 and the third face is a half cut face 52 from the left side shown in FIG. In this specification, the term “receiving surface” is used as a general term for the entire cut surface 51 and the half cut surface 52. Here, full cutting refers to completely cutting the recording medium, and half cutting refers to partially cutting the recording medium, regardless of the ratio. Therefore, since the cutter receiving member 50 can be attached to and detached from the cutter receiving holding member 60, the cutter receiving member 50 has either one of the full cut surface 51 and the half cut surface 52, or the cutting ratio between the full cut surface 51 and the cut surface. And may have a plurality of half-cut surfaces.

  A first groove 53 and a second groove 54 are formed above and below the entire cut surface 51, respectively, and a conductive first (made of stainless steel in this example) having a cross-sectional shape with a bent central portion. The first member 53 and the second conductive member 56 (the same member is used for the conductive members 55 and 56 in this example) are formed on the entire cut surface 51, respectively. Are fitted into the grooves 54 so as to straddle both ends of the half-cut surface 52 in the vertical direction. In other words, the conductive members 55 and 56 are disposed at two positions on both sides of the receiving surface of the cutter receiving member 50 corresponding to the longitudinal center position of the cutting edge of the cutter blade 31. The surface of the entire cut surface 51 and the surfaces of the conductive members 55 and 56 fitted in the grooves 53 and 54 form one surface (see also one flat surface) (see also FIG. 3). At both end portions, conductive members 55 and 56 project the height of the grooves 53 and 54 formed in the entire cut surface 51, thereby forming a protrusion.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the cutter receiver 30 </ b> B includes a cutter receiver holding member 60 that is rotatably attached to the column 61, and a detachable receiving surface (all cut surfaces) with respect to the cutter receiver holding member 60. 51, and a cutter receiving member 50 having a half-cut surface 52). Conductive members 55 and 56 are disposed at two spaced locations on the receiving surface, and the cutter receiving and holding member 60 has conductive members 55 and 56. The conductive connecting members 62 and 63 are disposed corresponding to the positions of the conductive members 55 and 56 disposed on the receiving surface by attaching the cutter receiving member 50 to the cutter receiving and holding member 60, respectively. The connection members 62 and 63 disposed on the cutter receiving and holding member 60 are electrically connected to each other.

3. Drive unit 30C
As shown in FIG. 3, a roller 37 is fixed to the opposite side of the bracket 34 from the cutter receiver 30B. The roller 37 is in contact with the peripheral surface of the first cam 39 fitted on the cam shaft 38. A gear 42 is fitted to the cam shaft 38, and the rotational driving force of the stepping motor 9 is transmitted by a plurality of gears (not shown) meshed with the gear 42.

  A second cam 45 is fitted on the cam shaft 38 between the first cam 39 and the gear 42. The peripheral surface of the second cam 45 is a contact portion (or a roller fixed to the second cam 45) that protrudes from the side surface of the arm 44 toward the second cam 45 in the vicinity of the distal end portion 44a of the arm 44. ). A round hole is formed in an end (not shown) opposite to the tip 44a of the arm 44, and a pin (not shown) standing on the base frame 40 is inserted into the round hole. . For this reason, the arm 44 is configured to be rotatable with respect to the pin, and the tip end portion 44a swings as the arm 44 rotates with respect to the pin.

  Furthermore, one end of a spring 43 whose other end is locked to the arm 44 is locked to the opposite side of the bracket 34 from the cutter receiver 30B. Therefore, the cutter 30A (bracket 34) is always biased toward the first cam 39 (arm 44). In addition, between the spring hooking arm 64 of the cutter receiving and holding member 60 and the distal end portion 44a of the arm 44, the spring 46 applies a pulling force in the reverse direction to the spring 66 to the spring hooking arm 64. The tension of the spring 46 is set to be larger than the tension of the spring 66.

  When the second cam 45 rotates counterclockwise about the cam shaft 38 and the tip 44a of the arm 44 moves (swings) downward (in the pulling direction of the spring 46), the cutter receiver holding member 60 is 8 is rotated counterclockwise, and the entire cut surface 51 of the cutter receiving member 50 mounted on the cutter receiving holding member 60 is positioned so as to face the cutter 30A (cutter blade 31). When the distal end portion 44a of 44 moves upward (in the pulling direction of the spring 66), the cutter receiving and holding member 60 rotates clockwise by the action of the spring 66, and the cutter receiving member 50 attached to the cutter receiving and holding member 60 is rotated. The half-cut surface 52 is positioned so as to face the cutter 30A (the cutter blade 31).

  Further, the arm 44 has a pin-like member that is in sliding contact with a long hole 47 formed in the base frame 40 in the vicinity of the distal end portion 44, and regulates the rotation angle of the arm 44 (the swing range of the distal end portion 44a). The regulating member 48 is provided. The thermal head 6 described above is connected to the arm 44, and is configured such that the thermal head 6 moves between the retracted position and the printing position by the rotation of the second cam 45.

4). Standby Position and Operating Position As shown in FIG. 8, as the first cam 39 rotates, the cutter 30A causes the cutter blade 31 to retract from the receiving surface of the cutter receiving member 50 (see FIG. 8A). The first operation position in which the cutter blade 31 has advanced toward the receiving surface of the cutter receiving member 50 (see FIG. 8B), and the cutter blade 31 in the first operating position toward the receiving surface of the cutter receiving member 50. Further, they are positioned at the second operating positions (see FIG. 8C) that have further advanced. In addition, the code | symbol 41 shown in FIG. 8 represents the guide which contacts the one side surface of the bracket 34 and guides advance / retreat (not shown in FIG. 3).

  As shown in FIG. 8A, the standby position is a position where the cutter blade 31 is retracted from the transport path P. In this example, the cutter blade 31 is positioned at the standby position of the home position in the initial setting process described later.

  As shown in FIG. 8B, the first operating position is achieved by rotating the first cam 39 clockwise about the cam shaft 38 to advance the bracket 34 toward the cutter receiver 30B. The cutter blade 31 is positioned so that the cutter blade 31 advances from the standby position toward the cutter receiver 30B and the cutter blade 31 cuts the tube T. In the first operating position, both ends of the end of the bracket 34 (see FIG. 3) are brought into contact with the tube T and deformed, and the tube T is pushed into the cutter receiver 30B.

  As shown in FIG. 8 (c), the second operating position is that the first cam 39 is further rotated clockwise about the cam shaft 38 to advance the bracket 34 toward the cutter receiver 30B. In this position, the cutter blade 31 advances from the first operating position toward the cutter receiver 30B and the cutter blade 31 cuts the tube T. In the second operating position, both ends of the distal end of the bracket 34 are also positioned at positions where the tube T is pushed further toward the cutter receiver 30B than the first operating position.

<Control unit>
As shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 15 has a CPU that functions as a central processing unit at a high speed, a ROM that stores the basic control program and program data of the printer 1, a RAM that functions as a work area of the CPU, and the like. These CPU, ROM and RAM are connected by an internal bus. Such a control part 15 can be comprised with a microcomputer.

  An external bus is connected to the control unit 15. The external bus includes an input control unit of the input unit 13, a display control unit of the display unit 14, a thermal head 6 of the printing unit 20, an energization detection circuit 70 described later, a driver 18 that controls the operation of the stepping motors 5 and 9, and a sensor. A sensor control unit 19 is connected to control information from. The driver 18 is connected to the stepping motors 5 and 9 described above, and the sensor control unit 19 is connected to a sensor. The control unit 15 has a buffer and an interface (not shown), and can be connected to a host device such as a personal computer via an external bus. For this reason, the operator can input from a personal computer instead of the input from the input unit 13, and further, by installing an external storage device such as a RAM card or USB, the data stored in the external storage device can be stored. Use is also possible.

<Energization detection circuit 70>
As shown in FIG. 6, the other ends of the lead wires 71 and 72 are connected to two input terminals of an AND circuit AND (hereinafter referred to as an AND circuit) via a connector 75, respectively. The AND circuit is connected to a ground (GND) serving as a reference voltage by applying the same operating voltage as the operating voltage Vcc of the microcomputer constituting the control unit 15. One end of resistors R1 and R2 whose other ends are connected to GND are connected to the two input terminals, respectively, and one end of resistor R3 whose other end is connected to GND is connected to the output terminals. An output terminal of the AND circuit is connected to an input port of a microcomputer constituting the control unit 15 through a connector 77. The other end of the lead wire 73 is connected to the operating voltage Vcc through a connector.

  The first conductive member 55 and the second conductive member in which the cutting edge of the cutter blade 31 to which a predetermined voltage (Vcc) is applied are arranged on the receiving surface (full cut surface 51, half cut surface 52) of the cutter receiving member 50. When each member 56 is contacted and energized, in other words, when the cutting edge of the cutter blade 31 contacts the receiving surface of the cutter receiving member 50 in parallel, both of the two input terminals of the AND circuit have substantially the same operating voltage Vcc. The voltage of the potential (strictly speaking, from the operating voltage Vcc, the voltage drop due to the fixing pin 36, the cutter blade 31, the conductive members 55 and 56, the connecting members 62 and 63 itself, the cutting edge of the cutter blade 31 and the conductivity. (A voltage obtained by subtracting a voltage drop due to contact resistance generated when each of the members 55 and 56 comes into contact), that is, a high level signal of a binary signal is input to the input terminal of the AND circuit. High-level signal is output from the force terminal. Therefore, the CPU of the control unit 15 can determine whether or not the cutting edge of the cutter blade 31 is in parallel with the receiving surface of the cutter receiving member 50 by monitoring the signal of the input port.

(Operation)
Next, the operation of the printer 1 of the present embodiment will be described focusing on the cutting process in the cutting unit 30 with the CPU (hereinafter abbreviated as “CPU”) of the control unit 15 as a main component. In the following, for the sake of simplicity of explanation, the operator uses the input unit 13 as cutting information as “print medium type” as a tube, “cut setting” as a half-cut mode cut command, 6 as the number of cuts, A case where 25 mm is set for “length” will be described as an example. Note that the half-cut mode cut command means that half-cutting that partially cuts the tube is repeated and the whole is finally cut. The cutting information in this example is 5 and a half times every 25 mm from the tip of the tube T. This means that, after cutting, 25 mm later (finally), the total number of cuts is set to six.

  When the printer 1 is powered on, the program and program data stored in the ROM are expanded in the RAM, and the CPU performs an initial setting process for moving each unit described above to a predetermined home position. Wait for input of print information and cutting information.

  When these pieces of information are input, the CPU generates print data according to the input print information and waits for an instruction to start printing from the operator. When the operator gives an instruction to start printing by pressing a predetermined button on the input unit 13, the tube T is set at a predetermined position with reference to an output from a sensor arranged on the upstream side of the transport rollers 2a and 2b. If the determination is negative, the fact is displayed on the display unit 14 and waits. If the determination is affirmative, the stepping motors 5 and 9 are driven to print the tube T.

  That is, the thermal head 6 is moved to a printing position where the thermal head 6 is pressed against the platen roller 3, and is output to the thermal head 6 line by line according to the generated print data. The tube T is conveyed downstream on the conveyance path P by the rotational driving force of the conveyance rollers 2 a and 2 b, the platen roller 3, and the pinch roller 4, and a desired character is printed in the printing unit 20. In the case of this example, similarly, a total of six printing processes are performed on the tube T at predetermined intervals. In this embodiment, since the stepping motors 5 and 9 are used for transporting the tube T, the CPU counts the number of output pulses to thereby position the tip of the tube T relative to the position of the heating element of the thermal head 6. , That is, the printing position can be grasped.

  Further, the CPU counts the number of output pulses of the stepping motors 5 and 9 to monitor that the cutting position of the tube T reaches the cutting portion 30 during the printing process by the thermal head 6.

  Then, when the cutting position of the tube T reaches the cutting portion 30, the CPU sets the cutter receiving member 50 so that the half-cut surface 52 faces the position facing the cutter blade 31 via the conveyance path P according to the cutting information. Position the receiving surface. Since the cutter blade 31 is positioned at the standby position in the initial setting process (see FIG. 8A), the cam shaft 38 is fitted to the cam shaft 38 by rotating the cam shaft 38 counterclockwise at the standby position. The second cam 45 (see FIG. 3) is rotated counterclockwise, and the cutter receiving member 50 receives the half-cut surface 52 so as to face the cutter blade 31 via the conveyance path P. Position the face.

  The CPU monitors whether or not the tip of the tube T has reached the position of the sensor with reference to the output from the sensor arranged on the downstream side of the pinch roller 4, and the stepping motor is based on the position of the sensor. By counting the number of output pulses to 9, the relationship of the position of the tip of the tube T with respect to the position of the cutter blade 31, that is, the cutting position with respect to the tube T can be grasped.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, the CPU cuts the cutter T so that the tip of the tube T to be conveyed is not caught by the cutter blade 31 until the tip of the tube T passes the position of the cutter blade 31. The blade 31 is positioned at the standby position.

  Next, when the tip of the tube T passes the position of the cutter blade 31 and the cutting position with respect to the tube T is conveyed to the position of the cutter blade 31, the CPU moves the rollers 2 a and 2 b, the platen roller 3, and the pinch roller 4. The driving is temporarily stopped to stop the conveyance of the tube T, and the cutter blade 31 is moved from the standby position (see FIG. 8 (a)) to the first operating position (see FIG. 8 (b)) to move the tube T halfway. Cut (* 1).

  Next, the CPU moves the cutter blade 31 from the first operating position to the standby position, restarts the driving of the rollers 2a, 2b, the platen roller 3, and the pinch roller 4, and conveys the tube T to the downstream side again. When the next cutting position with respect to the tube T is transported to the position of the cutter blade 31 (when transported 25 mm from the previously cut position), the driving of the rollers 2a, 2b, the platen roller 3, and the pinch roller 4 is temporarily stopped. Then, the conveyance of the tube T is stopped, the cutter blade 31 is moved from the standby position to the first operating position, and the tube T is cut in half (* 2). Hereinafter, similarly, the cutter blade 31 is moved between the standby position and the first operating position, and half-cutting is continuously performed on the tube T (* 3).

  When the half-cutting of the tube T by the cutter blade 31 is repeated 5 times in total ({(6 of the number of cuts) -1} times), the tube T is further transported by 25 mm and finally the tube T is fully cut. However, if the CPU reaches the full cutting position where the tube T has been transported 25 mm from the last half-cut position with the cutter blade 31 positioned at the standby position, the rollers 2a, 2b, platen The driving of the roller 3 and the pinch roller 4 is temporarily stopped, the conveyance of the tube T is stopped, and the cutter blade 31 is moved to the standby position before being completely cut. Subsequently, by rotating the cam shaft 38 counterclockwise at the standby position, the second cam 45 fitted to the cam shaft 38 is rotated, and the cutter blade 31 is moved to the cutter blade 31 via the conveyance path P. The receiving surface of the cutter receiving member 50 is changed so that the entire cut surface 51 faces the facing position.

  Next, the CPU moves the cutter blade 31 from the standby position to the first operating position, and completely cuts the tube T (* 4). Next, the driving of the rollers 2a, 2b, the platen roller 3, and the pinch roller 4 is restarted, and the tube T is further conveyed downstream by a predetermined distance and discharged from the printer 1. After a predetermined time has elapsed, the driving of the rollers 2a, 2b, the platen roller 3, and the pinch roller 4 is stopped, and the operation of one routine based on the input printing / cutting information is terminated. Then, the CPU further drives the rollers 2a, 2b, the platen roller 3, and the pinch roller 4 to prevent the tube T from being wound after a predetermined time has passed, so that the tube T is moved toward the transport rollers 2a, 2b. Rewind.

  The above explanation is an explanation of the entire operation when the cutting by the cutting operation in (* 1) to (* 4) is successful (see FIG. 9A). As shown by the above, there is a case where the cutting by the cutting operation in the above (* 1) to (* 4) is unsuccessful. As a typical example, the cutting edge of the cutter blade 31 does not contact the receiving surface (see FIG. 9B), or the cutting edge of the cutter blade 31 contacts only one part of the receiving surface (see FIG. 9C). ). In these typical examples, it is not always possible to say that the cut has failed (for example, the cut may have succeeded when half-cut), but the CPU cannot confirm the success of the cut. , Consider the cut failed. For this reason, the CPU determines whether or not the cutting by the cutting operations in the above (* 1) to (* 4) is successful, and cuts the tube T again when it is determined that the cutting is not successful. Execute the process. The above-mentioned “cut” is used to distinguish from a series of (multiple) cutting processes included in the above-described half-cut mode cut command, and means one cutting in the series of cutting processes. doing.

  FIG. 7 shows a flowchart of the cut process executed by the CPU. First, in step 102, the cutting operation described in (* 1) to (* 4) is executed.

  In the next step 104, it is determined whether or not the binary signal output from the energization detection circuit 70 is a high level signal. If the determination is negative and the determination is negative (low level signal), it is determined that the cutting has failed and the process proceeds to the next step 106.

  In step 106, the first cam 39 is rotated clockwise with the driving of the rollers 2a and 2b, the platen roller 3 and the pinch roller 4 stopped (the conveyance of the tube T is stopped). The second operation position (see FIG. 8C) is positioned from the operation position (see FIG. 8B). As a result, the cutter 30A is further pushed toward the cutter receiver 30B (hereinafter, this process is referred to as an additional pushing process). That is, the cutter blade 31 advances toward the cutter receiver 30B from the first operating position, and both ends of the end of the bracket 34 are further pushed from the first operating position toward the cutter receiver 30B from the first operating position. It will be cut again.

  Next, at step 108, it is determined again whether or not the binary signal output from the energization detection circuit 70 is a high level signal. If the determination is negative and the determination is negative (low level signal), it is determined that the cutting has failed and the process proceeds to the next step 110.

  In step 110, it is determined whether or not the cut is a full cut (in the above example, whether or not it is a cut of (* 4)), and in the case of a negative determination (half cut), the additional pushing process in step 106 described above. Thus, the cutting process is terminated assuming that the cutting has been successful.

  On the other hand, if the determination in step 110 is affirmative (full cut), in the next step 112, the state in which the cutter 30A in step 106 is pushed toward the cutter receiver 30B (and at least with respect to the tube T). In a half-cut state), the rollers 2a (and 2b) and the platen roller 3 (and pinch roller 4) are driven in reverse to rewind the tube T in a direction opposite to the conveying direction by a predetermined distance (3 mm in this example). The stepping motor 5 is controlled so as to be (conveyed), and the process of tearing the tube T is performed, that is, the cutting process is completed by performing the tearing instead of the cutting of the tube T and achieving the same purpose as the cutting.

(Effects etc.)
Next, effects and the like of the printer 1 of this embodiment will be described.

  In the printer 1 of the present embodiment, the cutter blade 31 of the cutter 30A is made of a conductive member (stainless steel), and a predetermined voltage (operating voltage Vcc for operating the microcomputer and the AND circuit 70 constituting the control unit 15) is applied. In addition, the receiving surface (full cut surface 51, half cut surface 52) of the cutter receiving member 50 of the cutter receiver 30B is made of a non-conductive member (acrylic resin or epoxy resin mixed with glass fiber) and the surface thereof is spaced 2 Stainless steel conductive members 55 and 56 are arranged at the locations. When the cutting unit 30 performs the cutting process on the tube T, the cutter 30A is moved toward the cutter receiver 30B by the driving unit 30C (the first cam 39 or the like). In this moving operation, if the cutter blade 31 of the cutter 30A and the receiving surface of the cutter receiving member 50 are parallel (if the posture of the cutter blade 31 is not inclined), the cutting edge of the cutter blade 31 of the cutter 30A and the cutter receiver The conductive members 55 and 56 arranged at two places on the receiving surface of the member 50 come into contact with each other to energize, and the conductive members 55 and 56 arranged at two places on the receiving surface of the cutter receiving member 50 are cut by the cutter blade 31. It becomes substantially the same potential as the predetermined voltage applied to the. For this reason, the CPU of the microcomputer constituting the control unit 15 monitors the output of the energization detection circuit 70 in accordance with the voltages of the conductive members 55 and 56 disposed at two locations on the receiving surface of the cutter receiving member 50. It is determined whether or not the cutting edge of the cutter blade 31 has contacted the conductive members 55 and 56 disposed at two places on the receiving surface of the cutter receiving member 50, and in the case of an affirmative determination, that is, the cutter of the cutter 30A. When the blade 31 and the receiving surface of the cutter receiver 50 are in parallel contact with each other, it is determined that the cutting of the tube T by the cutting unit 30 has been successful. Therefore, according to the printer 1 of the present embodiment, when the cutting edge of the cutter blade 31 of the cutter 30A contacts the receiving surface of the cutter receiving member 50 in parallel, it is determined that the cutting of the tube T by the cutting unit 30 is successful. Therefore, it is possible to reliably detect whether the recording medium has a thickness or hardness such as the tube T other than the sheet-shaped recording medium or a recording medium whose thickness is not constant.

  Further, in the printer 1 of the present embodiment, the conductive members 55 and 56 are arranged at two positions on both sides of the receiving surface of the cutter receiving member 50 corresponding to the longitudinal center position of the cutting edge of the cutter blade 31. Therefore, it can be reliably detected whether the cutting edge of the cutter blade 31 of the cutter 30 </ b> A is in contact with the receiving surface of the cutter receiving member 50 in parallel.

  Further, in the printer 1 of the present embodiment, even when it is determined that the cutting has not been successful (in the case of negative determination in step 104 in FIG. 7), the processing for cutting the tube T again (step 106) or the cutting is performed. Instead, since the tearing process is executed (step 112), the cutting purpose for the tube T can be achieved.

  In the present embodiment, an example of the drive unit 30C that moves the cutter 30A toward the cutter receiver 30B has been described, but conversely, the drive unit is configured to move the cutter receiver toward the cutter. You may do it. In that case, a groove in which the column 61 can move is formed in the base frame 40, and the cutter receiver may be moved toward the cutter by a cam, for example. In the present embodiment, the drive unit 30C is configured by the first cam 39 and the like, and the stepping motor is exemplified as the drive source. However, an actuator such as a linear motor may be used instead.

  In the present embodiment, the cutter blade 31 is made of a conductive member, a predetermined voltage is applied, and the receiving surface (full cut surface 51, half cut surface 52) of the cutter receiving member 50 is made of a nonconductive member. Although an example in which the conductive members 55 and 56 are disposed at two spaced locations on the surface is shown, this relationship may be reversed. That is, the receiving surface (full cut surface, half cut surface) of the cutter receiving member is made of a conductive member such as stainless steel and a predetermined voltage is applied, and the cutter blade is made of a nonconductive member such as ceramic and the like. You may make it arrange | position an electroconductive member in at least two places where the blade edge | tips were spaced apart. At that time, grooves may be formed at two locations on the cutter blade edge where the conductive member is arranged so that no irregularities are formed on the cutter blade edge, and both sides of the cutter blade edge are recessed in advance. It is preferable that a conductive member is attached (crimped) thereto. In such an aspect, the relationship between the cutter blade 31 and the conductive members 55 and 56 shown in FIG. 6 is also reversed. Moreover, although the example which distributes the electroconductive members 55 and 56 in two places of the receiving surface (full cut surface 51, half cut surface 52) of the cutter receiving member 50 was shown in this embodiment, it distributes in three or more places. By doing so, it can be determined whether or not the cutting edge of the cutter blade 31 is in parallel contact with the receiving surface. In this case, the number of input terminals of the AND circuit shown in FIG. 6 is changed according to the number of conductive members.

  Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, an example in which the energization detection circuit 70 is provided outside the microcomputer constituting the control unit 15 has been shown. However, such a circuit is incorporated in the microcomputer. It may be. Further, in the present invention, such an energization detection circuit 70 is not essential, and the voltage of the conductive members 55 and 56 is directly taken into the microcomputer constituting the control unit 15 via the lead wires 71 and 72 and the A / D. You may make it convert. In such a configuration, the CPU can collect information in a wider range than the binary high-level signal and low-level signal, so that self-diagnosis for the abnormal state of the cutting unit 30 can be performed. For example, the operating voltage Vcc described above is assumed to be 6 V, the first threshold value is set to 1.6 V which is the lowest voltage value at which the microcomputer can be normally operated, and the second threshold value is set to the fixed pin from the operating voltage Vcc described above. 36, the voltage drop caused by the members themselves such as the cutter blade 31, the conductive members 55 and 56, the connection members 62 and 63, and the contact resistance generated when the blade edge of the cutter blade 31 and the conductive members 55 and 56 are in contact with each other. The minimum voltage value obtained by subtracting the voltage drop due to the above is set to 5 V, and it is determined whether or not the voltage of the conductive members 55 and 56 is between the first threshold value and the second threshold value. At this time, it can be determined that some abnormality has occurred in the cutting unit 30 as a result of the abnormal voltage drop.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the half-cut mode cut command has been described. However, the present invention is applicable to a full-cut mode cut command that continuously cuts all the set number of cuts. Needless to say. Furthermore, although the present embodiment has been described with a focus on the cutting process of the tube T, the printer 1 can perform full-cutting and half-cutting of other print media such as labels. At that time, the half-cutting method may be changed depending on the type of the recording medium. For example, when the recording medium is a label with release paper, the label may be cut without cutting the release paper, or roll paper or ribbon tape. In this case, perforations may be inserted.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, an example is shown in which the thermal head 6 is connected to the arm 44, but the present invention is not limited to this, and can be moved between a retracted position and a printing position using a cam or the like. You may make it comprise.

  The present invention is also applicable to a cutting device that does not have the printing unit 20 of the printer 1 of the present embodiment, and the tube T is subjected to printing processing by the printing unit 20 of the printer 1 of the present embodiment. This is also applicable when the printer 1 is used as a cutting device.

  As described above, the present invention provides a printing apparatus and a cutting apparatus that can detect whether or not a recording medium other than a sheet-like recording medium is cut. Since it contributes to sales, it has industrial applicability.

1 Printer (printing device)
2a Conveying roller (part of conveying means)
3 Platen roller (part of conveying means)
15 Control unit 20 Printing unit 30 Cutting unit 30A Cutter 30B Cutter receiver 30C Driving unit (part of driving means)
31 Cutter blade 32 Cutter holder (holder)
34 Bracket 36 Fixing pin (contact member)
50 Cutter receiving member (receiving member)
51 Full cut surface (part of receiving surface)
52 Half-cut surface (part of receiving surface)
55 First conductive member 56 Second conductive member 60 Cutter receiving and holding member (holding member)
62 1st connection member 63 2nd connection member AND AND circuit (logical product circuit)
T tube (recording medium)
P transport path

Claims (8)

A conveyance path for conveying a long recording medium having flexibility;
A printing unit that performs a printing process on the recording medium;
At least two places as a receiving surface for the cutter blade provided on the downstream side of the printing unit in the recording medium conveyance direction and disposed at a position facing the cutter via the conveyance path and the cutter blade A cutter receiver having a full cut surface in which a flat surface is formed by a conductive member and a non-conductive member and a half cut surface in which grooves are formed between at least two conductive members , and facing the cutter Drive means for positioning the full cut surface or the half cut surface at a position and moving the cutter toward the cutter receiver or the cutter receiver toward the cutter, and cutting the recording medium Cutting part;
A control unit that controls printing processing of the printing unit and cutting processing of the cutting unit based on input print information and cutting information;
With
Either one of the cutter blade of the cutter and the receiving surface of the cutter receiver is made of a conductive member and a predetermined voltage is applied, and the other one is made of a non-conductive member and its surface or its blade edge is separated. Conductive members are arranged in at least two places,
The control unit determines whether or not one of the conductive members disposed in the at least two places is in contact with the one of the conductive members disposed in the at least two places according to a voltage of the conductive member disposed in the at least two places. In this case, it is determined that the cutting process of the recording medium by the cutting unit is successful.
A printing apparatus characterized by that.   The at least two conductive members are disposed at at least one position on both sides of the cutter blade with the longitudinal center position of the cutter blade, or the longitudinal center position of the cutter blade edge. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the printing apparatus is disposed at at least one position on both sides of the position of the receiving surface corresponding to the position. Either one is a cutter blade of the cutter, and one of the other is a receiving surface of the cutter receiver;
The cutter receiver has a holding member and a receiving member that is detachable from the holding member and has the receiving surface, and the conductive member is disposed at at least two positions spaced from the receiving surface, and the holding The member is provided with a conductive connecting member corresponding to the conductive member disposed at the at least two positions of the receiving surface, and the receiving surface is mounted on the holding member, thereby the receiving surface. 3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conductive member disposed on the conductive member and the connection member disposed on the holding member are electrically connected to each other. 4.   The cutter includes a holder for holding the cutter blade, a bracket for detachably holding the holder, and a conductive contact member fixed to the bracket and applied to the cutter blade to apply the predetermined voltage. The printing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the cutter blade and the contact member are energized when the holder is attached to the bracket.   The control unit determines whether or not one of the conductive members disposed in the at least two places is in contact with the one of the conductive members disposed in the at least two places according to the voltage of the conductive member disposed in the at least two places. In this case, the driving means is controlled so as to push the cutter toward the cutter receiver or the cutter receiver further toward the cutter, and according to the voltage of the conductive member disposed at the at least two locations. It is determined again whether or not any one of the conductive members arranged at least in two places is in contact, and if the determination is affirmative, it is determined that the cutting process of the recording medium by the cutting unit has been successful. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the printing apparatus is a printer. Provided on the upstream side in the recording medium conveyance direction of the cutting unit, further comprising a conveying means for conveying the recording medium,
In the case where the re-determination as to whether or not the control unit is in contact with the one of the conductive members disposed in the at least two locations is a negative determination, the cutting process of the cutting unit performs the printing medium. The recording medium is transported in a state in which the driving means is controlled so that the cutter is further pushed toward the cutter receiver or the cutter receiver is further pushed toward the cutter when full cutting means that the cutting is completely cut. 6. The printing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a process of tearing off the recording medium is performed by controlling the conveying unit to convey the recording medium in a direction opposite to a direction.   The control unit includes an AND circuit that outputs a high level signal when the voltages of the conductive members disposed at the two locations are all at a high level, and the signal output from the AND circuit 7. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in the case of a high level signal, it is determined that the cutting process of the recording medium by the cutting unit is successful. A conveyance path for conveying a long recording medium having flexibility;
A flat surface is formed by a cutter having a cutter blade and at least two conductive members and a non-conductive member as receiving surfaces for the blade edge of the cutter blade disposed at a position facing the cutter via the conveyance path. A cutter receiver having a full cut surface and a half cut surface in which a groove is formed between at least two conductive members, and positioning the full cut surface or the half cut surface at a position facing the cutter. A drive unit that moves the cutter toward the cutter receiver or the cutter receiver toward the cutter, and a cutting unit that performs a cutting process on the recording medium;
A control unit for controlling the cutting process of the cutting unit based on the input cutting information;
With
Either one of the cutter blade of the cutter and the receiving surface of the cutter receiver is made of a conductive member and a predetermined voltage is applied, and the other one is made of a non-conductive member and its surface or its blade edge is separated. Conductive members are arranged in at least two places,
The control unit determines whether or not one of the conductive members disposed in the at least two places is in contact with the one of the conductive members disposed in the at least two places according to a voltage of the conductive member disposed in the at least two places. In this case, it is determined that the cutting process of the recording medium by the cutting unit is successful.
A cutting device characterized by that.

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