JP7141354B2 - image forming device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.

As a conventional technology, there is known a printing machine having a print head having a function of printing on print paper and having a cutting head attached to the print head to cut the print paper (Patent Document 1). .

JP 2017-1299 A

In the above printing machine, a cutter having a blade at the tip is attached to the cutting head, and the cutting function is realized by sliding the cutter on the printing paper. However, there is a limit to the materials that can be cut with such a mechanism, and it has been difficult to cut recording media such as cloth.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus that uses a soft material such as cloth as a recording medium and can cut the material.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a forming unit that forms an image on a recording medium, and a holding unit that detachably holds a cutting member having a rotatable disk-shaped rotary blade for cutting the recording medium. and a drive unit that supports the holding unit and reciprocates in a first direction to bring the rotary blade into contact with and separate from the recording medium.

The present invention can provide an image forming apparatus that uses a soft material such as cloth as a recording medium and can cut it.

1 is an external perspective view showing a printing apparatus according to an embodiment; FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a printing device according to an embodiment; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a carriage according to the embodiment; FIG. In order to facilitate understanding, the figure is shown with the cover removed. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the carriage according to the embodiment, showing a state where a rotary cutter is attached; 4 is a perspective view showing a carriage according to the embodiment; FIG. The (a) side view of the rotary cutter which concerns on embodiment, and the (b) cutting blade enlarged view are shown. (a) A side view of the holder when the rotary cutter is attached, and (b) a side view of the holder with a partial cross section when the cutter is attached, according to the embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the guide part which concerns on embodiment. It is a side view which shows the cutting blade which concerns on a modification.

<Embodiment>
A printing apparatus 100, which is an embodiment of the image forming apparatus of the present invention, will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8. FIG. The printing apparatus 100 is an inkjet printer, and has a function of printing by ejecting ink onto the recording medium 9 and a function of cutting the recording medium 9 . As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the printing apparatus 100 includes a housing portion 1, a transport mechanism portion 2, a control portion 3, a carriage 4, and a guide portion 5 (see FIG. 4). As shown in FIG. 1, in the printing apparatus 100, three mutually orthogonal directions are defined as the up-down direction, the front-rear direction, and the left-right direction. Note that, hereinafter, the front-rear direction may be referred to as the transport direction, and the left-right direction may be referred to as the main scanning direction. Regarding detachable devices and members, the direction of each member is defined and explained in the attached state. As an example of the material of the recording medium 9, in addition to materials such as paper, soft materials such as cloth are assumed. The left-right direction and the up-down direction are examples of the second direction and the first direction, respectively, in the present invention.

Note that the “inkjet method” in the embodiments and modifications means a liquid supply method that supplies the liquid to a target position by ejecting fine droplets of liquid such as ink or photocurable resin. do. Various methods, such as a thermal method or a piezoelectric element method, can be adopted as a method of forming droplets.

Also, the printer 100 can be detachably mounted with a cutter 7 (see FIG. 7B) and a rotary cutter 8 (see FIG. 6). Therefore, the printing apparatus 100 has a function of cutting the recording medium 9 using the cutter 7 or the rotary cutter 8 .

A rotary cutter 8 is shown in FIG. The rotary cutter 8 has a shaft portion 81 and a cutting blade 82 . The shaft portion 81 is a shaft-shaped member and is formed to have substantially the same diameter as the cutter 7 . The shaft portion 81 has an axis 81a, and the axis 81a is installed so as to extend vertically when mounted (FIGS. 4, 6, etc.). The rotary cutter 8 is an example of a cutting member. Also, the cutting blade 82 is an example of a rotary blade.

The cutting blade 82 is a substantially disk-shaped member, and has a blade formed on its peripheral edge. As shown in FIG. 6B, the cutting blade 82 is supported at the lower end of the shaft portion 81 so as to be rotatable about a rotating shaft 82a. The side surface of the cutting blade 82 is substantially parallel to the axis 81a. The cutting blade 82 can cut the recording medium 9 by rolling while contacting the recording medium 9 .

The rotating shaft 82a is arranged to be offset by a predetermined length X with respect to the axis 81a (FIG. 6(b)). Therefore, the cutting blade 82 can rotate about the axis 81a by using the frictional force received from the recording medium 9 or the like. As a result, the cutting direction of the cutting blade 82 and the direction in which the shaft portion 81 moves with respect to the recording medium 9 can be substantially matched.

As shown in FIG. 7(b), the cutter 7 is formed in a shaft shape and has a knife 7a at its end. The knife 7 a can cut the recording medium 9 by moving while being in contact with the recording medium 9 . Cutter 7 is typically used to cut a material such as paper.

The housing portion 1 includes a main body portion 10, a guide rail 11, a motor 12, and a support portion 15 (see FIG. 8) that supports the guide portion 5. As shown in FIG. Openings are formed in the front and rear surfaces of the main body 10, and the openings are opened and closed by respective covers. FIG. 1 shows a state in which a cover for opening and closing the front opening of the main body 10 is removed. The guide rail 11 is a shaft-shaped member and is attached to the main body 10 so as to extend in the left-right direction. The motor 12 has a function of rotating the guide portion 5 . Also, the motor 12 is electrically connected to and controlled by the control unit 3 . The support portions 15 are fixed one by one to the left and right ends inside the body portion 10, and each supports the end portion of the guide portion 5 so as to be rotatable (FIG. 8).

The conveying mechanism unit 2 is for conveying the recording medium 9 in the front-rear direction, and includes a conveying roller (not shown) as a driving roller and a pinch roller 22 as a driven roller (see FIGS. 1 and 2). Figure 3). The conveying roller is rotatable by being powered by a motor (not shown). The recording medium 9 is conveyed in the front-rear direction by rotating the conveying rollers while the recording medium 9 is sandwiched between the conveying rollers and the pinch rollers 22 .

The control unit 3 is for controlling the printing apparatus 100 . As shown in FIG. 2, the controller 3 is communicably connected to the transport mechanism 2 and the carriage 4, and has a function of controlling the operations of these parts. The configuration of the control unit 3 is not particularly limited, but in this embodiment, an interface (I/F) for receiving print data (raster data) and the like from an external device, a ROM for storing programs, and a It mainly includes a CPU, a RAM that provides a work area for processing by the CPU, and an NVRAM that is a non-volatile memory and stores various data. The control unit 3 controls the transport mechanism unit 2 and the carriage 4 of the printing device 100 based on the received print data.

The carriage 4 includes a printing carriage 4A for printing by an inkjet printer system and a cutting carriage 4B for cutting the recording medium 9. As shown in FIG. The carriage 4 is movably engaged with the guide rail 11 in the main scanning direction. In this embodiment, the printing carriage 4A and the cutting carriage 4B are installed separately, and move independently in the main scanning direction with respect to the guide rail 11. As shown in FIG. Alternatively, the printing carriage 4A and the cutting carriage 4B may be arranged side by side and connected to each other. The printing carriage 4A is an example of the forming section of the present invention. Guide rail 11 is an example of a moving member in the present invention.

The printing carriage 4A has various components for performing ink jet printer type printing. The printing carriage 4A is engaged with the guide rail 11 so as to be movable in the main scanning direction, and has a function of executing printing by ejecting ink onto the recording medium 9 .

The cutting carriage 4B (see FIG. 5) has various configurations for cutting the recording medium 9. As shown in FIG. The cutting carriage 4B includes a main body 40, a holder 41, a solenoid 42, an arm 43, a clamp 44, a spring 45, and a cover 46 covering these.

The cutting carriage 4B with the cover 46 removed is shown in FIGS. The main body 40 is a metal housing that constitutes the outer shell of the cutting carriage 4B, and supports each member of the solenoid 42, the arm 43, the clamp 44, and the spring 45. As shown in FIG. Further, the rear surface of the body portion 40 is engaged with the guide rail 11 so as to be movable in the left-right direction. Although FIG. 4 shows a state in which the rotary cutter 8 is attached, the cutter 7 can also be attached in the same manner.

As shown in FIG. 7, the holder 41 is a hollow, substantially cylindrical member. The holder 41 is detachably attached to the clamp 44 so that its axis extends in the vertical direction. Further, the holder 41 can detachably mount the cutter 7 and the rotary cutter 8 so that their axes extend in the vertical direction. The holder 41 has bearings 411 and 412 and a magnet 414 inside. When the cutter 7 is inserted into the holder 41 and mounted, the bearings 411 and 412 are in contact with the lower and upper outer peripheral surfaces of the cutter 7 and rotatably support it. When the rotary cutter 8 is inserted and mounted inside the holder 41, the bearings 411 and 412 are in contact with the lower and upper outer peripheral surfaces of the shaft portion 81, respectively, and rotatably support them. Also, the magnet 414 holds the cutter 7 or the upper end of the shaft portion 81 by its own magnetic force so as not to fall off. Thereby, the holder 41 can detachably and rotatably mount the cutter 7 and the rotary cutter 8 respectively.

The solenoid 42 has a bobbin 421 wound with a coil and a plunger 422 inserted through the bobbin 421 . The solenoid 42 is electrically connected to the controller 3 and controlled by the controller 3 . The bobbin 421 is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape extending in the vertical direction. The bobbin 421 is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape and has a plurality of coils arranged in the circumferential direction. A plunger 422 is inserted through the hollow portion of the bobbin 421 so as to be vertically movable. Plunger 422 is formed in a cylindrical shape extending in the vertical direction. The coil of the bobbin 421 is arranged so as to surround the outer periphery of the plunger 422 . By energizing the coil of the bobbin 421 , the plunger 422 is vertically driven between the top dead center and the bottom dead center with respect to the bobbin 421 . The solenoid 42 is an example of a driving section in the present invention.

The arm 43 is an L-shaped member and is supported by the main body 40 so as to be vertically movable. The arm 43 has an upper portion 431 extending upward from the solenoid 42 and a left portion 432 fixed to the left end of the upper portion 431 and extending downward. Upper portion 431 is fixed to the upper end of plunger 422 . Therefore, the upper portion 431 and the left portion 432 can move integrally with the plunger 422 . Arm 43 is an example of a holding portion in the present invention.

Clamp 44 is secured to the lower end of left portion 432 . The clamp 44 includes a support portion 441 that supports and fixes the periphery of the holder 41 and a fastener 442 that fixes the support portion 441 and the holder 41 . The support portion 441 is supported so as to be capable of rotating substantially in the left-right direction with respect to the left portion 432 , and the holder 41 can be sandwiched between the left portion 432 and the support portion 441 .

The fastener 442 has a female thread 442a and a male thread 442b. The male screw 442b is rotatably installed with respect to the left portion 432. As shown in FIG. Female threads 442 a are threadedly engaged with male threads 442 b and can be threaded toward or away from left portion 432 . When mounting the holder 41 , the female thread 442 a spirals in a direction approaching the left portion 432 and presses the front end portion of the support portion 441 toward the left portion 432 . Thus, the fastener 442 can fix the holder 41 via the support portion 441 .

The upper end of the spring 45 is engaged with the body portion 40 . The lower end of the spring 45 is engaged with the lower end of the left portion 432 to urge the arm 43 upward with respect to the body portion 40 . Therefore, when the bobbin 421 is not energized, the spring 45 keeps the arm 43 and the plunger 422 pulled upward.

As shown in FIG. 8, the guide portion 5 is a substantially quadrangular prism-shaped member extending in the left-right direction. The guide portion 5 is arranged below the carriage 4 . Both left and right ends of the guide portion 5 are rotatably supported by the support portions 15 . Further, the guide portion 5 is rotationally driven by a motor 12 around a rotation shaft extending in the left-right direction. The guide portion 5 has a first surface 5a and a second surface 5b having different configurations. The surfaces of the first surface 5a and the second surface 5b are both planar. A pad member 52 made of rubber is attached to a substantially central portion of the first surface 5a. The pad member 52 has a function of contacting and rolling the rotary cutter 8 . A rubber pad member 53 formed in a substantially flat plate shape is attached to a substantially central portion of the second surface 5b. The pad member 53 contacts the cutter 7 and can be slid thereon. The material, shape and rigidity of each of the pad members 52 and 53 are set according to the shape and rigidity of the corresponding rotary cutter 8 and cutter 7 . The pad members 52 and 53 are examples of a first pad member and a second pad member, respectively.

In addition, in the guide portion 5, further two side portions can be configured to correspond to different cutting operations and tools to be used. Specifically, by providing pads and grooves different from the pad members 52 and 53, it is possible to correspond to the contents of work such as clipping work and perforation cutting, and to deal with the case where a specific material is used for the recording medium 9. You can let

〔work〕
An image forming operation using the printing apparatus 100 and a cutting operation using the rotary cutter 8 will be described below. It is assumed that cloth is used as the recording medium 9 in this image forming operation. Upon receiving a print instruction from the user, the control section 3 first drives the motor 12 to rotate the guide section 5 so that the first surface 5a faces upward.

Next, the user operates the printing apparatus 100 to start image forming work. The control unit 3 moves the recording medium 9 forward and backward using the conveying mechanism unit 2, and further scans the printing carriage 4A in the left and right directions to print on the upper surface of the recording medium 9. FIG.

After the printing job is finished, the printing device 100 starts the cutting job. The control unit 3 moves the recording medium 9 forward and backward using the conveying mechanism 2 and scans the cutting carriage 4B in the left and right directions to move the rotary cutter 8 to the cutting position of the recording medium 9 . Next, the controller 3 controls the solenoid 42 to move the rotary cutter 8 downward so that the cutting blade 82 contacts the recording medium 9 .

The control unit 3 moves the recording medium 9 in the front-rear direction using the transport mechanism unit 2 and scans the cutting carriage 4B in the left-right direction so that the cutting blade 82 rolls on the recording medium 9 . As shown in FIG. 6(b), the cutting blade 82 rotates in the rotational direction R and moves relative to the recording medium 9 while its lower end is in contact with the recording medium 9. As shown in FIG.

The cutting blade 82 can roll in any of the front, rear, left, and right directions to cut the recording medium 9 . Therefore, the printing apparatus 100 uses the rotary cutter 8 to cut the recording medium 9 made of a soft material such as cloth into a predetermined shape.

Specifically, the rotating shaft 82a of the cutting blade 82 is arranged so as to be offset with respect to the axis 81a. Further, the shaft portion 81 is rotatably held with respect to the holder 41 . Therefore, the cutting blade 82 can rotate about the axis 81a by using the frictional force acting between the pad member 52 and the recording medium 9. As shown in FIG. As a result, the rotary shaft 82a moves rearward relative to the shaft portion 81 in the cutting direction or advancing direction. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6B, the rotating shaft 82a moves rearward or downstream of the shaft portion 81 in the cutting direction or advancing direction D (white arrow) with respect to the recording medium 9. As shown in FIG.

As a result, the direction in which the shaft portion 81 moves relative to the recording medium 9 and the side surface of the cutting blade 82 become parallel. That is, the direction in which the shaft portion 81 moves with respect to the recording medium 9 and the cutting direction of the cutting blade 82 substantially match, and cutting can be performed accurately along a predetermined cutting shape.

During the cutting operation, the lower end of the cutting blade 82 also abuts on the pad member 52 and moves on the pad member 52 in the horizontal direction. By using a dedicated pad member 52 that matches the shape, rigidity, etc. of the cutting blade 82, abrasion of the cutting blade 82 can be reduced and smooth cutting work can be performed.

After finishing the cutting, the controller 3 controls the solenoid 42 to move the plunger 422 upward and separate the rotary cutter 8 from the recording medium 9 . The upward movement of the plunger 422 may be performed by energizing the solenoid 42, or by stopping the energization and using the biasing force of the spring 45 to lift the arm 43 and the plunger 422 upward. can be

Since the cutting blade 82 rolls on the recording medium 9 in this manner, the rotary cutter 8 can cut the recording medium 9 without applying a large force. Therefore, the rotary cutter 8 can smoothly cut the recording medium 9 without damaging or wrinkling the recording medium 9 even when the recording medium 9 is formed of a soft material such as cloth.

[Cutting work using a cutter]
Note that the cutting work can also be performed using the cutter 7 . When using the cutter 7 , the user attaches the cutter 7 to the holder 41 and further secures the holder 41 to the left portion 432 using the clamp 44 .

The control unit 3 drives the motor 12 to rotate the guide unit 5 so that the second surface 5b faces upward.

In the cutting operation, the control section 3 moves the recording medium 9 forward and backward using the conveying mechanism section 2, and further scans the cutting carriage 4B in the left and right directions. The controller 3 drives the solenoid 42 to move the plunger 422 downward. As the plunger 422 moves, the cutter 7 moves downward, and the knife 7 a at the lower end abuts the recording medium 9 . The cutter 7 is moved relative to the recording medium 9 by the cutting carriage 4</b>B and the conveying mechanism section 2 to cut the recording medium 9 . At that time, the tip of the knife 7a slides on the upper surface of the pad member 53 in the left-right direction. Since the special pad member 53 that matches the shape and rigidity of the knife 7a is used, the wear of the knife 7a is reduced and the cutter 7 can perform the cutting operation smoothly.

After finishing the cutting, the controller 3 controls the solenoid 42 to move the plunger 422 upward and separate the cutter 7 from the recording medium 9 .

<effect>
The printing apparatus 100 of the above embodiment includes a printing carriage 4A that forms an image on the recording medium 9, an arm 43, and a solenoid . The rotary cutter 8 has a rotatable cutting blade 82 and can cut the recording medium 9 . Arm 43 removably holds rotary cutter 8 . The solenoid 42 can reciprocate the arm 43 along the vertical direction to bring the cutting blade 82 into contact with and separate from the recording medium 9 .

The printing apparatus 100 can form an image on the recording medium 9 using the printing carriage 4A. Further, since the printing apparatus 100 is provided with the rotary cutter 8, even when a soft material such as cloth is used as the recording medium 9, the cutting operation can be performed.

The printing apparatus 100 also includes a guide rail 11 that holds the solenoid 42 movably in the left-right direction.

In the above configuration, the solenoid 42 and the arm 43 and the rotary cutter 8 supported by the solenoid 42 can be smoothly moved in the horizontal direction. Therefore, the cutting operation of the recording medium 9 is facilitated.

The printing apparatus 100 further includes a support portion 15 that supports the guide portion 5 so as to be rotatable around a rotation shaft extending in the left-right direction. The guide portion 5 is formed in a prism shape extending in the left-right direction, and has a first surface 5a which is one side portion. A pad member 52 is supported on the first surface 5a.

The arm 43 can hold one end of the cutter 7 having the knife 7a formed at the other end. The guide portion 5 has a second surface 5b on which the pad member 53 is supported. The pad member 53 allows the knife 7a to slide in the left-right direction.

In the configuration described above, the guide portion 5 supports the pad members 52 and 53 . Therefore, in the printing apparatus 100, the cutting work can be performed using either the cutter 7 or the rotary cutter 8. FIG. Since the pad member is used according to the purpose of cutting or the material of the recording medium 9, cutting can be performed easily and accurately. Moreover, the cutting operation can be performed without damaging the recording medium 9 .

The printing apparatus 100 can select cloth as the material of the recording medium 9 . Therefore, the printing apparatus 100 can select not only paper but also fabric as the recording medium 9 and can perform image forming and cutting operations.

The rotary cutter 8 has a shaft portion 81 that rotatably supports a cutting blade 82, and a rotating shaft 82a of the cutting blade 82 is provided at a position offset from an axis 81a of the shaft portion 81.

In the above configuration, since the rotating shaft 82a is arranged to be offset with respect to the axis 81a, the frictional force acting between the pad member 52 and the recording medium 9 is used to rotate about the axis 81a. be able to. As a result, the direction in which the shaft portion 81 moves relative to the recording medium 9 and the cutting direction of the cutting blade 82 substantially match, and cutting can be performed along a predetermined cutting shape.

<Modification>
In the above embodiment, the rotary cutter 8 and the cutter 7 are configured to be attached to the arm 43 via the holder 41, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the rotary cutter 8 and the cutter 7 may each be directly attached to the arm 43 .

In the above embodiment, the solenoid 42 is used as the drive unit. However, the invention is not limited to such a configuration. For example, a configuration in which the arm 43 is driven using a motor may be employed.

In the above embodiment, the inkjet printing apparatus 100 is used as the image forming apparatus. The present invention is not limited to this, and it is also possible to employ a UV inkjet printer or a solvent inkjet printer as the image forming apparatus.

In the above-described embodiment, the cutting blade 82 is formed in a disk shape, but it is not necessary that the peripheral portion be formed in a perfect circle. For example, as shown as a blade portion 182 in FIG. 9(a), the peripheral portion may be polygonal, or the peripheral portion may be uneven. Also, as shown as a blade portion 282 in FIG. 9B, a notch or a slit may be provided in the peripheral portion. With such a configuration, complicated cutting operations such as cutting the recording medium 9 along a dotted line or intermittently can be performed.

The above embodiments are presented as examples of the invention and do not limit the scope of the invention. Various omissions, replacements, and modifications can be made to the above configuration without departing from the scope of the invention. The above-described embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the invention described in the claims and their equivalents, as well as being included in the scope and gist of the invention.

100 Printer 1 Case 2 Transport mechanism 3 Control unit 4A Printing carriage 4B Cutting carriage 5 Guide unit 7 Cutter 8 Rotary cutter 9 Recording medium

Claims (5)

a forming unit that forms an image on a recording medium;
a holding unit that detachably holds a cutting member having a rotatable rotary blade for cutting the recording medium;
a drive unit that supports the holding unit and reciprocates in a first direction to bring the rotary blade into contact with and separate from the recording medium;
a guide portion that is formed in a prism shape extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and supports, on one side surface portion, a first pad member for rolling the rotary blade on its surface;
an image forming apparatus comprising: a support section that supports the guide section so as to be rotatable around a rotation shaft extending in the second direction . 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a moving member that holds said driving unit movably along said second direction . The holding part can hold one end of a cutter having a knife formed on the other end,
3. The guide portion further has a side portion different from the one side portion, the side portion supporting a second pad member for sliding the knife in the second direction. The image forming apparatus according to . 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the recording medium is cloth. The cutting member has a shaft portion that rotatably supports the rotary blade,
5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the rotating shaft of said rotary blade is provided at a position offset from the axis of said shaft portion.

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