JPH09164735A - Image forming apparatus and recording material-cutting device thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance the cutting performance of a recording material cutting device by a constitution wherein a movable blade is pressed against a stationary blade at a pressure within an elastically deformable range of the stationary blade. SOLUTION: A holder 15 is provided to a cutting device 8 and one of the projection sections of an axle 18 thereof is engaged with a cam groove 14 of a cam plate 12. A bearing 20 is provided to the other of the axle 18. A cutter member 19 in which a circular blade cutter 13 and an O-ring housing 22 are integrally formed is fixedly disposed. A carriage 6 runs exceeding a region of the recording material and the cam plate 12 collides with a body side of the device. As a result, the cutter 13 moves to a recording material side. The cutting device 8 pressed downward by the cam groove 14 rotates the carriage 6 in a direction (e) against an elastic member 25 and in a direction (c) around a guide rail 17. Thereby, the cutter 13 enters a groove 48 of a platen 16 to be pressed to a stationary blade 23 so that a cutting condition is created. The pressure at that time is in an elastically deformable range of the stationary blade.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

[Object of the invention]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a copying machine, a printer,
The present invention relates to a recording material cutting device of an image forming apparatus such as a plotter.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a known image forming apparatus of this type, an image (including characters, symbols, etc.) is formed while unrolling a roll-shaped recording material.
It is usual to cut the recording material at a predetermined position after the work for one page is completed.

As a method of cutting the recording material, there are provided a self-propelled movable blade and a fixed blade, and the recording material is cut by running while the movable blade is in contact with the fixed blade, and a self-propelled movement. Conventionally, blades having only blades have been proposed, and these will be briefly described below.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view schematically showing only a portion where a cutter carriage cuts a recording material in an image forming apparatus such as a plotter. Wire 4 suspended on a pair of pulleys 42 driven by a motor 41 that can rotate forward and backward.
9 is arranged in parallel with a guide rail 44 extending in the same direction as the printing direction of the apparatus main body. The wire 49 includes
A cutter carriage 43, which has a cutter 40 and is engaged with the guide rail 44, is mounted. In the illustrated case, the cutter is a round blade cutter, but the cutter is not limited to this.

Below the guide rail 44, a fixed blade 45 is arranged in parallel with the guide rail 44 with a proper gap 46 therebetween, and a recording material (not shown) passes through the gap. There is. The cutter 40 extends in the direction of the fixed blade 45 beyond the gap and, although not shown, the cutter 4
It is assumed that 0 is constantly in pressure contact with the fixed blade 45 by an appropriate means such as a spring.

Reference numerals 47a and 47b in the figure denote microswitches for detecting the position of the cutter carriage 43 and controlling the drive of the motor 41. A disconnection signal is sent while the microswitch 47a detects the cutter carriage 43. In this case, the driving motor 41 starts driving, and the driving is continued until the micro switch 47b detects the cutter carriage 43, and the recording material is cut during this period. When the disconnection signal is input while the micro switch 47b is detecting the cutter carriage, the disconnection is performed in the same manner.

As the cutting device of the latter type having only a movable blade, devices shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 are known. Although these devices show an embodiment of the present invention and are provided with a fixed blade, they will be described within the scope of the constituent parts for cutting by the moving blade.

In FIG. 3, on the upper part of the platen 16,
The recording head 4 is attached to the belt 9 extending in the printing direction,
A carriage 6 equipped with an ink tank 7 (see FIG. 2) and the like is reciprocally disposed, and a cutting device 8 having a cutter 13 is integrally disposed adjacent to the carriage 6. There is.

A plate-shaped cam plate 12 is disposed between the carriage 6 and the cutting device 8 so as to slide therethrough, and the cam plate 12 has a curved cam groove as shown in the drawing. 14 is formed, and only the cutting device 8 is engaged with the cam groove 14. Therefore, if the cam plate 12 is moved in the left-right direction in the drawing, the cutting device 8 moves in the direction in which it comes in contact with and separates from the recording material (not shown) along the cam groove 14.

When the carriage 6 is moved in the direction a in the drawing at the time of cutting to approach the movement limit position, the cam plate 12 comes into contact with the proper position on the apparatus main body side and is pressed in the direction b, and the cutting device 8 is moved into the cam groove 14. Descend along. As a result, the cutter 13 of the cutting device 8 also descends and enters the slit 48 formed in the platen 16, and in this state, if the carriage 6 is moved in the direction g, the recording material (not shown) on the platen can be cut. .

After the cutting, when the cam plate 12 comes into contact with the proper position in the main body of the apparatus, thereafter, the cam plate 12 is pressed in the direction h, and the cutting device 8, and hence the cutter 13, ascends and escapes from the slit 48. The recording material can be conveyed.

The publicly known cutting device has been briefly described above.
The former requires a separate drive source to drive the cutter, cutter position detection means such as a micro switch, and the fixed blade that abuts the moving blade must have a clearance angle to ensure sharpness. Therefore, know-how for forming this with high precision is required, and the cost is inevitably increased.

Further, the latter one-blade device described above,
Although it is advantageous in terms of cost, if the sharpness deteriorates even a little, the cutting edge of the cut recording material becomes dirty quickly, and the amount of paper dust is increased, which adversely affects the functions of other parts of the device. It may lead to deterioration of image quality.

The present invention has been made to cope with such a situation, and in the image forming apparatus as described above, the fixing is provided over the entire width of the recording material in the direction orthogonal to the recording material conveying direction. In a cutting device of an image forming apparatus equipped with a blade and a moving blade that abuts on the blade, it is possible to keep the pressure contact force of the moving blade with respect to the fixed blade within an appropriate range, and to cut sharply at low cost. The purpose is to provide a device.

[0015]

Configuration of the Invention

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a fixed blade disposed over the entire width of the recording material in a direction orthogonal to the recording material conveying direction, and the fixed blade. In a recording material cutting device of an image forming apparatus having a moving blade that moves in pressure contact, the moving blade is in pressure contact with the fixed blade within a range in which the fixed blade is elastically deformable. Material cutting device (1) or the above (1)
In the recording material cutting device (2), the fixed blade is made of an elastic material, or in the above-mentioned (1) or (2), the fixed blade has an elastic adhesive member. The recording material cutting device (3) characterized in that the recording material cutting device is attached to an immovable portion on the apparatus main body side, or the image forming device (4) equipped with the cutting device according to any one of the above (1) to (3). ).

With this structure, a simple structure, a low cutting cost, a good sharpness due to the two blades, and a beautiful cutting edge of the recording material can always be stably obtained.

[0017]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS "FIG. 2" and "FIG. 3" are respectively a schematic side sectional view and a perspective view of a main part of an image forming apparatus showing an embodiment of the present invention. Since the basic configuration and operation of this device have already been described, description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 2, the carriage 6 and the cutting device 8 provided integrally with the carriage 6 are provided with a guide rail 17
It is supported by a and 17b, and in the illustrated case, rollers 24 and 26 arranged on the carriage side sandwich and support the upper guide rail 17b.

The carriage 6 supported by the guide rails 17a and 17b is driven by a motor (not shown) and travels by an endless belt 9 which moves in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing. 8 moves similarly. The linear scale 10 provided on the apparatus main body, the linear sensor 11 provided on the carriage side, and the like are used for the movement of the carriage 6, the detection of the position, and the timing of ink ejection.
Shall be performed by.

When the leading end of the recording material 1 wound in a roll is pulled out onto the platen 16 and moved leftward in the figure by the drive roller 3 and the pinch roller 2 to reach the image forming position, recording is performed by an image forming signal. Ink is ejected from the ink ejection surface of the head 4 onto the recording material in accordance with an image signal to form an image.

At a portion where the carriage 6 is supported by the guide rail 17b, a roller 24 fixedly arranged and a roller 26 swingably arranged with respect to the carriage 6 are arranged so as to sandwich the guide rail 17b. is there. The roller 26 is
As can be seen from FIG. 3, the receiving member 6a provided on the carriage 6 is swingably supported, and as can be seen from FIG. 2, the elastic member 25 such as a spring rotates in the direction indicated by the symbol d. The habit is imparted to the guide rail 17b together with the roller 24.

Next, the cutter 1 which is a movable blade is shown in FIG.
The configuration of the three neighboring parts will be described. As shown in the figure, the cutting device 8 is provided with a holder 15, and one protrusion of a shaft 18 fixed to the holder 15 has a cam groove 14 of the cam plate 12.
Is engaged. A bearing 20 is rotatably disposed on the opposite side of the shaft 18 from the protrusion.
An O-ring housing 22 equipped with a round blade cutter 13 and an O-ring 21 is integrally fixedly arranged as a cutter member 19. Further, a screw rod 36 is screwed into a screw hole formed at the end of the shaft 18 on the cutter side to prevent the cutter member 19 from being pulled out.

At the time of image formation, the carriage 6, the cutting device 8, the cam plate, and the cam groove 14 are arranged in a relationship as shown in FIG. 3, and at this time, the cutter 13 is in the raised position and the recording head 4 forms an image. There is no problem with.

When the cutting command is issued, the carriage 6 runs over the recording material area, and the cam plate 12 collides with the proper position on the apparatus main body side as described above and moves, and the cutter 13 moves to the recording material side. Cutting device 8 pushed down by cam groove 14
Is larger than the gap between the carriage 6 and the platen 16, the carriage 6 is lifted, and the carriage 6 rotates the roller 26 in the e direction against the elastic member 25, while the carriage 6 is rotated about the guide rail 17a. It rotates in the direction of the symbol c.

FIG. 4 shows a portion in the vicinity of the cutter 13 when the carriage 6 and the cutting device 8 are thus rotated. At this time, the cutter 13 is positioned below the surface of the platen 16 and has entered the groove 48 on the platen side to be ready to cut the recording material (not shown) on the platen. 21 is in pressure contact with the platen 16. A fixed blade 23 made of a stainless thin plate or the like is attached to the inner surface of the groove 48 on the platen 16 side by a double-sided tape 27, and the cutter 13 that has entered the groove 48 is pressed against the fixed blade 23.

When the carriage 6 and the cutting device 8 are run in this state, the cutter rotates in the direction toward the fixed blade due to the friction between the O-ring and the recording material on the platen, and the cutter abuts the fixed blade. The recording material on the platen 16 is cut by the fixed blade 23 and the cutter 13. At this time, the O-ring 21 contributes to the rotation of the cutter and the close contact of the recording material with the platen.

The material, thickness, etc. of the fixed blade 23 are set so that when the cutter 13 is pressed against the fixed blade 23 and cutting is performed, the fixed blade 23 is appropriately bent so as to be elastically deformable. With this configuration,
Adhesion between the fixed blade and the moving cutter can be maintained without needing a clearance angle as in the case of using a rigid blade, and good sharpness can be obtained.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view showing the structure of a portion near the cutter 13 of another embodiment. In this device,
A relatively thick steel plate is used as the fixed blade 28 provided on the inner surface of the groove 48 of the platen 16, and this is bonded by a double-sided tape 29 having a large thickness and having cushioning properties in the thickness direction.

With this structure, when the cutter 13 contacts the fixed blade 28 during cutting, the tape 29 is elastically deformed to ensure the contact between the cutter 13 and the fixed blade 28.

FIG. 6 shows a cutter 1 of still another embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a portion near 3 points. In this apparatus, a fixed blade 30 formed by bending an elastic stainless thin plate into a substantially Z shape is joined in a groove 48 into which the cutter 13 enters at the time of cutting, as shown in the figure.

Thus, the cutter 13 elastically deforms and abuts the fixed blade 30 during cutting.

FIG. 7 is a side sectional view showing the structure of a portion in the vicinity of the cutter 13 according to still another embodiment. In this device, an elastic thin plate such as a steel plate bent in a V shape is mounted in the groove 48, and the plate member 33 is provided at one edge thereof.
Along the entire length, and screw both on the inner surface of the groove 48.
0 is abutted and fixed, and the other edge is floated in the groove to form the fixed blade 32, and the elasticity of the other edge functions.

At the time of cutting, the cutter 13 elastically abuts on the edge portion floating in the groove 48.

FIG. 8 is a side sectional view showing the structure of a portion in the vicinity of the cutter 13 of another embodiment. In this device, a fixed blade 34 made of a Z-shaped bent steel plate or the like is arranged in the groove 48 as shown in the figure, and is fixed by a double-sided tape 35 having a sufficient cushioning property and having a thickness. I am doing it.

With such a structure, the cutter 1 for cutting
3 can be elastically brought into contact with the fixed blade 34.

In the apparatus shown in FIG. 5 and thereafter, although the cutter 13 is in the groove 48 and is ready to be cut, the cutter portion is shown to be upright with respect to the platen 16. When cutting the recording material,
Needless to say, as shown in FIG. 4, the cutter 13 is appropriately inclined to be in pressure contact with the fixed blade.

[0037]

As described above, according to the present invention,
In an image forming apparatus provided with a cutting device including a fixed blade disposed over the entire width of the recording material in a direction orthogonal to the recording material conveyance direction, and a cutter that comes into contact with the fixed blade and moves in the recording material width direction, At the time of cutting, the cutter is elastically pressed against the fixed blade to perform the cutting. Therefore, the movable blade and the fixed blade are separated from each other while maintaining the excellent sharpness of the cutting by the two blades and the beautiful cutting edge for a long time. Compared to a unitized cutting device, no special auxiliary mechanism for aligning the moving blade is required, which contributes to cost reduction.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a main part of a recording material cutting device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side sectional view showing a configuration of a recording head portion of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing a configuration in the vicinity of a recording head of the image forming apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of an essential part showing a mode in which a cutting device cuts a recording material.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of a cutting device according to another embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a side sectional view of a cutting device according to still another embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a side sectional view of a cutting device as another embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a side sectional view of a cutting device showing still another embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view schematically showing a known recording material cutting unit of the image forming apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Recording Material 2 Pinch Roller 3 Drive Roller 4 Recording Head 6 Carriage 8 Cutting Device 9 Conveyor Belt 12 Cam Plate 13 Cutter 14 Cam Groove 16 Platen 17a, 17b Guide Rail 18 Fixed Shaft 20 Bearing 21 O Ring 22 O Ring Housing 23 Fixed Blade 24, 26 roller 25 elastic member 27, 29 double-sided tape 28, 30, 32, 34 fixed blade 48 groove

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Takeo Sasaki 6-3-3 Shimorenjaku, Mitaka-shi, Tokyo Within Copier Corporation (72) Inventor Yasushi Sawada 6-3-3 Shimorenjaku, Mitaka-shi, Tokyo No. 3 In Copier Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Yasuhiro Kawamoto 6-3 3 Shimorenjaku, Mitaka City, Tokyo No. 3 Incopier Co., Ltd. (72) Yutaka Kawamata 6-3 3 Shimorenjaku, Mitaka City, Tokyo No. Copier Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Shigehiko Ito 6-3-3 Shimorenjaku, Mitaka-shi, Tokyo Copier Co., Ltd. (72) Kunitoshi Hayashi 6-3-3 Shimorenjaku, Mitaka-shi, Tokyo Copier Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor, Keisuke Se Nao 6-3-3 Shimorenjaku, Mitaka City, Tokyo Copier Co., Ltd.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A recording material cutting device for an image forming apparatus, comprising: a fixed blade, which is arranged over the entire width of the recording material in a direction orthogonal to the recording material conveying direction; and a moving blade which moves in pressure contact with the fixed blade. In the apparatus, the movable blade is in pressure contact with the fixed blade within a range in which the fixed blade can be elastically deformed, and the recording material cutting apparatus. 2. The recording material cutting device according to claim 1, wherein the fixed blade is made of an elastic material. 3. The recording material cutting device according to claim 1, wherein the fixed blade is attached to an immovable portion on the apparatus main body side by an elastic adhesive member. . 4. An image forming apparatus comprising the cutting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.