JPH06198989A - Paper cutting mechanism for serial printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To eliminate returning of a paper so as to reduce a margin at its head part by constructing a cutting blade of a cutter such that the position of the cutting blade can be freely changed to a cutting position of the paper and to a retract position where paper is not cut. CONSTITUTION:A print head 4 is connected to an ink cartridge through a flexible tube 12 and the ink to be supplied from the ink cartridge is jet on a roll paper 1 from an injection nozzle so as to print images. On a side face at the opposite side of feed movement direction of a cartridge 10 in the print head 4, a cutter 5 for cutting the roll paper 1 is arranged. When the printing is completed, the roll paper 1 is cut by the cutter 5. An upper part of a cutting blade 11 is axially supported at the side part of the print head 4 by a pin axis 15. A tension spring 16 is connected to one side at the upper part of the axial support point and a plunger 17a of a solenoid 17 is connected to other side.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a paper cutting mechanism such as a roll paper provided in a serial printer or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When printing on roll paper with a serial printer or the like, normally, as shown in FIG. 19, a rolled-out roll paper 1 is conveyed to a print area P by a platen roller 2 and a feed roller 3. At that position, the print head 4 scans to print line by line. When printing is completed, the printed portion is conveyed to a position outside the cutter 5 provided on the downstream side of the feed roller 3 and is cut by the cutter 5. Reference numeral 6 is a discharge roller.

[0003]

However, in the above-described conventional serial printer device and the like, the second and subsequent sheets have a blank space at the interval D from the cutter 5 to the downstream end of the printing area P. Since the margin is about 3 to 4 cm, this margin is wasted and uneconomical. Further, since the cutter 5 is located outside the print head 4, there is a drawback that the device becomes large.

On the other hand, in order to eliminate this margin, the leading edge of the roll paper has to be returned to the print area P before the start of printing, which not only complicates the control for that, but also increases the printing time. There was also a new difficulty.

When cutting the paper with a cutter,
Paper dust may adhere to the nozzle surface of the print head to make the printing unclear.

Alternatively, when the paper quality is hard,
Sometimes it didn't work.

Further, even though the cutter has reached the end of its life, it may be used with its sharpness reduced.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances.
A paper cutting mechanism for a serial printer that can reduce the margin of paper and make the device compact, a paper cutting mechanism for a serial printer that can protect nozzles when cutting paper, a paper cutting mechanism for a sharp serial printer, and a cutter It is an object of the present invention to provide a paper cutting mechanism for a serial printer that can detect the life of the printer.

[0009]

The present invention comprises means for solving the above-mentioned problems as follows. That is, according to the first aspect of the invention, the carriage for driving in the paper width direction along the guide bar or the print head mounted on the carriage is provided with a cutter for cutting paper, and the cutting blade cuts the paper. It is characterized in that the position can be freely changed between a cutting position for cutting and a retracting position for not cutting.

A second aspect of the invention is characterized in that the cutter according to the first aspect of the invention is provided at a portion of the carriage or the print head on the side opposite to the feed movement direction of the carriage.

A third invention is characterized in that, in the first invention or the second invention, a protection means is provided for covering the nozzle of the print head when the paper is being cut by the cutter.

A fourth invention is characterized in that the cutter according to the first invention, the second invention or the third invention comprises a rotary blade which is rotationally driven in a direction to push down the paper. .

A fifth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the cutter according to any one of the first, second, and third aspects is provided with vibration generating means for applying vertical vibration. .

According to a sixth aspect of the invention, the life of the cutter is detected by detecting a load change of the motor for driving the carriage according to any one of the first, second, third or fifth aspects of the invention. It is characterized in that a cutter life detection processing unit for detecting is provided.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a rotary blade life detection processing section for detecting the load fluctuation of the motor for driving the rotary blade according to the fourth aspect of the invention and detecting the life of the rotary blade. It features.

In the eighth aspect of the invention, a cartridge including an ink tank, a print head, and a cutter for cutting a sheet is detachably provided on a carriage driven in the sheet width direction along a guide bar. It is characterized by being.

[0017]

In the first aspect of the invention, the paper can be cut by setting the cutting blade of the cutter to the cutting position and moving the print head in the paper width direction when the printing of one sheet is completed. The cutter is provided on the carriage or print head, so even after the second sheet,
It is possible to print from the first line by reducing the margin at the tip.

In the second aspect of the invention, since the print head does not pass through the position where the paper is cut, the adhesion of paper dust to the nozzle is relatively small.

In the third aspect of the invention, the nozzle is covered by the protection means during the cutting of the sheet, so that the adhesion of the paper dust to the nozzle is prevented.

In the fourth aspect of the invention, the paper is cut while being pushed down by the rotary blade, so that good cutting performance is exhibited.

In the fifth aspect of the invention, the cutter is vibrated vertically by the vibration generating means, so that good cutting performance is exhibited.

In the sixth aspect of the present invention, the cutter life detection processing unit detects the load variation of the motor for driving the carriage, so that it can be detected that the cutter has reached the end of its life, and the cutter can be replaced appropriately. be able to.

In the seventh aspect of the present invention, it is possible to detect that the rotary blade has reached the end of its life by detecting the load fluctuation of the motor for driving the rotary blade by the rotary blade life detection processing unit, and replace the rotary blade. Can be appropriately performed.

In the eighth aspect of the invention, when the cartridge is replaced, the cutter is replaced together with the cartridge, so that it is not necessary to replace only the cutter.

[0025]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a paper cutting mechanism of a serial printer, in which a pair of guide bars 7 and 8 stretched in a paper width direction of a roll paper (paper) 1 fed in a direction of an arrow C by a platen roller 2. A print head 4 for printing is mounted and fixed on a carriage 10, which is slidably mounted on the carriage 10 and reciprocates in the paper width direction from a home position by a carriage motor 9.

The print head 4 is connected to an ink cartridge (not shown) via a flexible tube 12, and ink supplied from the ink cartridge is jetted from the jet nozzle onto the roll paper 1 to print an image. To do. A cutter 5 for cutting the roll paper 1 is provided on the side surface (see FIG. 3) of the print head 4 opposite to the feeding movement direction of the carriage 10, and when the printing of the last line is completed, The roll paper 1 is cut by the cutter 5.

The cutter 5 is constructed such that the cutting blade 11 can be repositioned between a cutting position 13 (see FIG. 2) for cutting the roll paper 1 and a retreat position 14 for not cutting. That is, the upper portion of the cutting blade 11 is pivotally supported on the side portion of the print head 4 by the pin shaft 15, and the tension spring 16 is provided on one side and the solenoid 17 is provided on the other side of the portion above the pivot point. When the solenoid 17 is off, the cutting blade 11 is held at the retracted position 14 shown by the solid line in FIG. 2 when the solenoid 17 is off, while when the solenoid 17 is on, the plunger 17a is retracted. The blade 11 is moved to a cutting position 13 shown by a chain double-dashed line in FIG. 2, and its cutting edge is movably inserted into a notch groove 18a formed by notching the guide plate 18 in the lateral direction.

Since the cutter 5 is provided on one side of the print head 4 as described above, the cutter 5 is arranged inside the discharge roller 3, so that when the cutter 5 is provided outside the discharge roller 3 as in the conventional case. The device can be made more compact than that. Further, since the cutter 5 is provided on the side surface on the side opposite to the feeding movement direction of the carriage 10, the nozzle does not pass through the cutting portion of the paper 1, which is advantageous in that the paper dust is hard to adhere to the nozzle. . Reference numeral 19 in FIG. 1 is a paper discharge tray.

A preferred example of the roll paper cutting control operation of the paper cutting mechanism of the serial printer configured as described above will be described in detail below with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 4 and 5.

When the roll paper 1 is conveyed onto the guide plate 18 by the platen roller 2, it is detected by the position detection sensor, the electrostatic attraction member provided on the guide plate 18 is turned on (S1), and the roll paper 1 Are adsorbed, and first, the first line is printed (S2). After that, the electrostatic attraction member is turned off (S3), one line of paper is fed (S4), and step 1 is performed until the roll paper 1 is caught in the discharge roller 3.
The operations from to step 4 are repeated.

When the roll paper 1 is caught in the discharge roller 3 (S5), printing is performed for only one line (S5).
6) After that, the paper is fed by one line (S7), and the operations of Step 6 and Step 7 are repeated until the printing is completed, and when the printing is completed (S8), the roll paper 1 is fed to the cutting position (S8). S9), the electrostatic attraction member is turned on (S10), and the solenoid 17 is turned on (S1).
1) After moving the cutting blade 11 to the cutting position 13, the carriage motor 9 is driven to move the print head 4 laterally to cut the roll paper 1 (S12). After that,
After the solenoid 17 is turned off and the cutting blade 11 is moved to the retracted position 14 (S13), the electrostatic attraction member is turned off (S14), and the discharge roller 3 is driven to discharge the paper (S15).

The feed amount when the roll paper 1 is fed to the cutting position in step 9 described above, that is, the margin a (see FIG. 2) is
It can be appropriately set according to the number of rotations of the platen roller 2, and the margin a can be set to the necessary minimum, so that the conventional problems can be solved. Needless to say, the feeding direction in step 9 is forward feeding, and control is easy.

Other embodiments will be described below.
6 (A) and 6 (B), by arranging a pair of rollers 21 and 21 on both sides of the cutter 5 having a cutting blade 11 at the lower portion, the paper is smoothly cut by pressing both sides of the cutting point. It is designed to be cut. The roller 21 is pivotally supported by a support shaft 22 fixed to one end of an L-shaped arm 24, and both arms 24, 24 are provided at an intermediate position above the cutting blade 11 of the cutter 5. The rollers 23 are pivotally supported at both ends of the support shaft 23, and springs 25, 25 hooked at the other ends of the arms 24, 24 urge the rollers 21, 21 in the direction of pressing the paper, and the cutter thereof. 5 together with solenoid 17 from cutting position 13 shown to retract position
14 (see FIGS. 2 and 3).
The lower limit positions of the rollers 21 and 21 are set by the stopper 26 protruding from the cutter 5 preventing the arm 24 from rotating clockwise in the drawing.

7 and 8, a soft vinyl chloride sheet 31 is attached to the upper surface of the guide plate 18 without providing a notch groove, and a cutting blade is attached to the soft vinyl chloride sheet 31.
The cutter 5 urged downward by a spiral spring 32 wound around a support shaft 33 is provided so that the bite 11 is slightly bitten.

In this case, since the paper dust is not dropped downward when the paper is cut, the cutter 5 is electrified so that the paper dust is adsorbed to the cutter 5 so that after the paper is cut, the one end of the guide plate 18 is brought into contact with each other. The cutter 5 is passed between a pair of upright sponge rollers 34, 34 so that the sponge rollers 34,
Paper powder is attached to 34 and the sponge rollers 34, 34
The paper dust receivers 35, 35 that are in sliding contact with the paper can be collected.

When the paper is cut, the platen roller 2
If the tension is applied to the paper 1 by slightly rotating the discharge roller 3 after stopping, the better sharpness can be obtained. Alternatively, the discharge roller 3 may be rotated for a little longer than the platen roller 2 and then stopped.

Further, according to the thickness of the sheet 1, the carriage
By adjusting the feeding speed of 10 variably, it is possible to obtain a good sharpness according to the paper 1.

9 and 10A and 10B show the guide plate 18
A large number of small holes h are provided in the lower part of the hole, and a suction fan 41 for adsorbing the paper and collecting paper dust when cutting the paper is arranged below the small hole h.

Immediately below the notched groove 18a of the guide plate 18 described above, a guide groove 42 formed in an inverted V-shape with a downward expansion is formed over the entire width so that suction can be efficiently performed by one suction fan 41. , And a baffle plate having a plurality of round holes 43 (43A, ...) Opened below at appropriate intervals.
The guide plates 45, 45 in which 44 is stretched and inclined downward from both ends of the baffle plate 44 toward the suction fan 41
Is provided in a frame 47 integrated with the suction fan 41, a filter 46 for adsorbing paper dust is detachably provided directly above the suction fan 41, and a baffle plate 44 is provided.
The filter 46 can be exchanged by removing the guide plate 18 integrated with the frame body 47 from the frame body 47.

With this structure, the sheet can be evenly adsorbed on the guide plate 18, and therefore the cutter 5
The sharpness of the paper is improved and the paper can be cut cleanly. Further, since the paper dust can be reliably collected by the single suction fan 41, it is possible to prevent the paper dust from adhering to the nozzles of the print head 4.

11 (A) and 11 (B), a disk-shaped rotary blade 51 is formed in place of the cutter 5, and this is used as a reduction gear mechanism 52.
The sharpness is improved by rotationally driving the paper in the direction of pushing it down by the motor 53 via the.

Reference numeral 54 designates a substrate on which the rotary blade 51 and its driving device are attached, 55 designates a support pin for swingably supporting the substrate 54 on the side surface 4a opposite to the feed movement direction of the print head 4, 52A, 52B, 52C and 52D are gears forming the reduction gear mechanism 52, and 56 is a tension type solenoid attached to the side surface 4a of the print head 4, and its plunger is a substrate.
A pulling type spring 57 is interposed between the end portion 54 a of the swinging side 54 and the carriage 10 and is connected to the end portion 54 a.

In such a structure, the solenoid 56 is turned off when not disconnected, and the spring 54 causes the substrate 54 to move.
The edge 54a side of the blade is pulled up and the rotary blade 51 is held at the upper standby position, the solenoid 56 is turned on at the time of cutting, and the edge 54a is pulled down against the tensile force of the spring 57,
The rotary blade 51 is displaced to the lower cutting position, and FIG.
The rotary blade 51 rotates clockwise with respect to the print head 4 moving to the right. As a result, it is possible to efficiently cut the sheet while pressing it.

In FIG. 12, the cutter 5 is formed in a disk shape, and the pointed protruding teeth 71, ... Are radially formed on the outer periphery of the cutter 5 at equal intervals to form perforations on the paper. However, there is an advantage that the paper can be cut as needed.

Although not shown, the pinion provided on the carriage 10 side is rotated by a rack provided on the main body side instead of the drive system by the motor 53, and the rotary blade 51 is moved from the pinion via a gear or a belt. You may make it rotate. Further, the rotary blade 51 may be rotated by using the driving force of the paper pressing roller 21 (see FIG. 6).

FIG. 13 shows a fixing portion 5a above the cutter 5 which is fixed to the main body portion of the print head (not shown).
By attaching a piezoelectric element (vibration generating means) 61 to the bent portion 5b protruding outward from the device and applying a voltage to the piezoelectric element 61, the cutting blade 11 is vibrated in the B direction (vertical direction). It is given to enable smooth cutting.

14 to 16 show a replaceable cartridge 82 equipped with an ink tank 81, a print head 4, and a cutter 5 which is detachably mounted on the carriage 10. The cutter 5 is replaced when the cartridge 82 is replaced. The nozzle surface n of the print head 4 can be covered and protected when the paper is cut.

More specifically, two vertical pin shafts P ₁ and P projecting from a longitudinal hole d formed in the base portion 5c of the cutter 5 on a side surface 82a opposite to the feed moving direction of the cartridge 82. ₂ is loosely fitted to support the cutter 5 so as to be vertically displaceable, and a protruding shaft 83 protruding from one end of a lever 83 pivotally supported by a pin shaft P ₃ protruding from a side surface 82a thereof.
While that is loosely fitted a to long hole e in the lateral direction formed in the cutter 5, the other end connected to the plunger 84a of the solenoid 84 which is arranged in the vertical direction on the side of the cartridge 82, and wound around the pin shaft P ₃ The lever 83 is urged counterclockwise by the spiral spring 85.

With this structure, when the solenoid 84 is off, the cutter 5 is in the retracted position 14 shown by the solid line in FIG. 14 by the urging force of the spiral spring 85, and when the solenoid 84 is on, the cutting blade 11 is downward. Cutting position indicated by virtual line
The sheet is moved to 13, and the paper is cut by the movement of the carriage 10.

On the other hand, the print head 4 is arranged downward in the lower part of the cartridge 82, and its nozzle surface n faces directly above the paper. Immediately below the nozzle surface n, a shielding film 86 slidably supported on both sides in a guide groove is provided, and one end of the shielding film 86 is connected to a plunger 87a of a solenoid 87 fixed to the feed moving side of the cartridge 82. The nozzle surface n is shielded by the shielding film (protection means) 86 by turning on the solenoid 87, while the nozzle surface n is opened by turning off the solenoid 87.

The solenoid 87 and the solenoid 84 operate in an interlocking manner, and when the solenoid 84 is off, the solenoid 87 is also off and the nozzle surface n is opened for printing, while the solenoid 84 is on and the paper is printed. During the cutting, the solenoid 87 is also turned on, the nozzle surface n is shielded, and the adhesion of paper dust is prevented.

FIG. 17 shows how the life of the cutter can be detected by detecting the fluctuation of the torque applied to the carriage. The current value of the carriage motor 91 is measured by the ammeter 92 and the detection signal is sent to the CPU 93. If the current value is greater than or equal to a predetermined value by the cutter life detection processing unit 94 provided in the calculation unit, it is determined that the sharpness of the cutter has deteriorated and the life has expired, for example, a buzzer or a lamp is activated. A service life detection signal is sent to the outside.

FIG. 18 shows the case where the cutter is a rotary type,
The current value of the rotary blade driving motor 101 is measured, the detection signal is input to the CPU 103, and if the current value is not less than a predetermined value by the rotary blade life detection processing unit 104 provided in the calculation unit, the previous operation is performed. As in the example, the life detection signal is sent to the outside.

Although not shown in the drawing, a porous elastic member such as a sponge impregnated with oil is arranged at the moving end of the cutter, and the cutting blade portion of the cutter is slidably contacted with the elastic member so that it is always in contact. The cutting blade can be made slippery and the sharpness can be maintained and improved.

[0055]

As described above, according to the paper cutting mechanism of the serial printer of the first invention, the print head is provided with the cutter for cutting the paper, so that the paper can be fed back without being fed back. The margin of the portion can be reduced, and the cutter is provided inside the discharge roller, so that the device can be made compact.

Further, according to the second aspect of the invention, since the print head does not pass through the position where the paper is cut, it is possible to reduce the adherence of paper dust to the nozzles and improve the image quality.

According to the third invention, since the nozzles are covered during the cutting of the paper, the adhesion of the paper powder to the nozzles is prevented, and the image quality is further improved.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the paper is cut while being pushed down by the rotary blade, whereby good cutting performance is exhibited, and the paper can be cut cleanly.

According to the fifth aspect of the invention, the cutter is vibrated up and down, so that good cutting performance is exhibited.

According to the sixth aspect of the invention, the life of the cutter can be detected by detecting the load change of the motor for driving the carriage, and the replacement can be appropriately performed.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, it is possible to detect that the rotary blade has reached the end of its life by detecting the load fluctuation of the rotary blade driving motor, and to appropriately replace the rotary blade. You can

According to the eighth aspect of the invention, since the cutter is provided in the cartridge mounted on the carriage, when the cartridge is replaced, the cutter is also replaced, and it is not necessary to replace only the cutter, and the labor required for replacement is saved.

The present invention does not limit the sequence of paper cutting operation to that of the embodiment, but the setting may be changed appropriately, and the configuration of the cutter is also limited to that of the embodiment. It goes without saying that the cutting blade may be moved between the cutting position and the retracted position by another cylinder device or an actuator such as a motor. In addition to the serial printer device, F
The paper cutting mechanism of the present invention can also be employed in an AX transmission / reception device or the like. Also, it goes without saying that the inventions may be implemented in combination as appropriate.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of essential parts showing an embodiment of a paper cutting mechanism of a serial printer of the first invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the paper cutting mechanism showing a state where a cutting blade is in a cutting position and a retracted position.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the paper cutting mechanism.

FIG. 4 is a part of a flowchart for explaining a sheet cutting operation.

FIG. 5 is the rest of the flowchart.

FIG. 6A is a sectional view of a main part showing a different embodiment of the paper cutting mechanism of the serial printer of the first invention, and FIG. 6B is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a front view of a main part showing another embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the same.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of main parts showing still another embodiment of the present invention.

10A is a plan view of the guide plate, and FIG. 10B is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a connection structure between the guide plate and a suction fan provided below the guide plate.

FIG. 11A is a longitudinal sectional view of an essential part showing an embodiment of a paper cutting mechanism of a serial printer of the fourth invention, and FIG. 11B is a partial front view thereof.

FIG. 12 is a side view showing a different embodiment of the cutter.

FIG. 13 is a side view showing an embodiment of a cutter that constitutes the paper cutting mechanism of the serial printer of the fifth invention.

FIG. 14 is a longitudinal sectional view of an essential part of a paper cutting mechanism of a serial printer according to an eighth invention.

FIG. 15 is a plan view of the same.

16 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line YY of FIG.

FIG. 17 is a block system diagram showing a main part configuration of a paper cutting mechanism of a serial printer of a sixth invention.

FIG. 18 is a block system diagram showing a main part configuration of a paper cutting mechanism of a serial printer of a seventh invention.

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional serial printer device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... roll paper, 4 ... print head, 5 ... cutter,
7, 8 ... Guide bar, 10 ... Carriage, 51 ... Rotating blade, 61
... Vibration generating means, 82 ... Cartridge, 86 ... Protecting means, 94
… Cutter life detection processing unit, 104… Rotating blade life detection processing unit.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Setsuo Hori 1-2-2 Tamatsukuri, Chuo-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture Mita Industry Co., Ltd. (72) Takeshi Watanabe 1-2-2 Tamatsukuri, Chuo-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture No. 28 Inside Mita Industry Co., Ltd.

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A carriage, which is driven in the paper width direction along a guide bar, or a print head mounted on the carriage, is provided with a cutter for cutting paper, and the cutting blade cuts the paper. And a paper cutting mechanism for a serial printer, which is configured so that the position can be freely changed to a retracted position that does not cut. 2. The paper cutting mechanism for a serial printer according to claim 1, wherein the cutter is provided at a portion of the carriage or the print head opposite to a feed movement direction of the carriage. 3. A paper cut for a serial printer according to claim 1, further comprising a protection means for covering the nozzle of the print head when the paper is cut by the cutter. mechanism. 4. The paper cutting mechanism for a serial printer according to claim 1, wherein the cutter comprises a rotary blade that is driven to rotate in a direction in which the paper is pushed down. . 5. A paper cutting mechanism for a serial printer according to claim 1, wherein the cutter is provided with vibration generating means for applying vertical vibration. . 6. A cutter life detection processing unit for detecting a load change of a motor for driving the carriage to detect a life of the cutter, according to claim 1, claim 2, and claim 1. A paper cutting mechanism for a serial printer according to claim 3 or claim 5. 7. The serial blade according to claim 4, further comprising a rotary blade life detection processing unit that detects a load variation of a motor that drives the rotary blade and detects a life of the rotary blade. Paper cutting mechanism of the printer. 8. A cartridge including an ink tank, a print head, and a cutter for cutting a sheet is detachably provided on a carriage driven in a sheet width direction along a guide bar. Paper cutting mechanism for serial printers.