JP6955372B2 - Cutting device and printer - Google Patents

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to cutting devices and printers.

Conventionally, a printer or the like that prints on roll paper is provided with a cutting device for cutting the roll paper. Some cutting devices are manual, in which the roll paper is cut when the operator pulls on the tip of the roll paper. A printer provided with such a manual cutting device is used, for example, as an ATM (automated-teller machine) usage statement printer, a cash register receipt printer, or the like.

In a manual cutting device, when the roll paper is conveyed according to printing, the tip of the roll paper may be caught by the cutting edge which is a portion for cutting the roll paper. In this case, when the roll paper is further transported, the roll paper is jammed on the upstream side of the cutting edge in the paper transport direction. In order to prevent such inconvenience, the cutting device may include a paper guide portion that directs the tip end portion of the roll paper in a certain direction so as not to cover the cutting edge.

However, since the paper guide portion as described above guides the roll paper so as not to touch the cutting edge, if the paper guide portion as described above is provided, it is difficult for the cutting edge to bend the roll paper at a sufficient angle. Become. Therefore, it is difficult to obtain good cutting performance in a conventional cutting device provided with a paper guide.

An object to be solved by the present invention is to make it difficult for the paper to be jammed on the upstream side of the cutting edge and to improve the cutting performance in the structure for manually cutting the paper.

The cutting device of the embodiment is a cutting device for manually cutting strip-shaped paper, and includes a cutting portion and a movable guide portion. Cutting unit includes a cutting edge rip pressing was portions of the media under end. The movable guide portion is provided on the upstream side in the paper transport direction with respect to the cutting portion, faces the surface of the paper on the same side as the surface facing the cutting edge, and is movable between the guide position and the cutting position. be. The movable guide portion at the guide position guides the paper in a direction in which the tip end portion of the paper exceeds the cutting edge. The cutting position is on the root side of the cutting portion with respect to the paper pressed against the cutting edge. The movable guide portion moves to the cutting position when pressed against the paper pressed against the cutting edge, and returns to the guide position by its own weight when the external force is released by the paper, and the width of the paper. and the axis along the direction, is rotatably supported by the shaft, it is closed and a guide portion for guiding the sheet by end remote from said axis.

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an example of the structure of the printer of the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of the cutting device. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the shape of the cutting edge. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a movable guide portion at a cutting position. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state in which the detected piece is detected by the sensor. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a self-checkout device which is an example of a device to which the printer of the embodiment is applied.

(First Embodiment)
The embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an example of the structure of the printer 1. In the figure, the left side is the front side of the printer 1. That is, the Y direction is the direction from the front to the back of the printer 1, and the Z direction is the direction from the bottom to the top of the printer 1.

The printer 1 includes a paper holding unit 2, a printing unit 3, a cutting device 4, and a paper ejection port 5.

The paper holding unit 2 stores and holds the roll paper 20 on which the strip-shaped paper 21 is wound.

The printing unit 3 prints on the paper 21 while pulling out the paper 21 from the paper holding unit 2. The printing unit 3 includes a printing head 31 and a platen roller 32. The print head 31 is, for example, a thermal head and prints on the paper 21 between the platen roller 32 and the paper 21. The platen roller 32 rotates by receiving a driving force such as a motor (not shown) to convey the paper 21 between the platen roller 32 and the print head 31.

The paper ejection port 5 is an opening provided on the front surface of the printer 1 and ejects the printed paper.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of the cutting device 4. The cutting device 4 is for manually cutting the paper 21, and includes a cutting unit 41, a movable guide unit 42, and a detection unit 43.

The cutting portion 41 is provided on the downstream side (hereinafter, simply referred to as “downstream side”) of the printing portion 3 in the paper transport direction. The cutting portion 41 is, for example, a plate-shaped member having a cutting edge 411 on one side (tip portion) of the member, and the cutting edge 411 is projected into the paper transport path 44. The cutting edge 411 cuts the pressed paper so as to tear it from the pressed portion.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the shape of the cutting edge 411. The cutting portion 41 of the present embodiment has a cutting edge 411 having a jagged shape like a saw blade in which protruding "peaks" and recessed "valleys" are repeated. In FIG. 3, the virtual line connecting the top 412 of the "mountain" is shown by the alternate long and short dash line t, and the virtual line connecting the bottom 413 of the "valley" recessed by the height difference g from the alternate long and short dash line t is shown by the alternate long and short dash line b. Indicated by.

Here, as shown in FIG. 2, the above-mentioned paper transport path 44 is a downhill on the upstream side of the cutting portion 41 in the paper transport direction (hereinafter, simply referred to as “upstream side”), and is downstream of the cutting portion 41. It is uphill on the side. That is, the paper transport path 44 is bent before and after the cutting portion 41.

The movable guide portion 42 is provided on the upstream side of the cutting portion 41. Further, the movable guide portion 42 is provided on the same side as the cutting edge 411 with respect to the paper 21. That is, the movable guide portion 42 faces the surface on the same side as the surface on which the cutting edge 411 of the paper 21 faces.

The movable guide portion 42 has a shaft 421 and a guide portion 422. The shaft 421 is provided along the width direction of the paper 21. The guide portion 422 is, for example, a plate-shaped member, and is rotatably supported by a shaft 421 with the shaft 421 as a rotation shaft. The end portion 423 of the guide portion 422 farther from the shaft 421 is a portion that guides the paper 21. The guide portion 422 is movable between the guide position and the cutting position (both described later) as it rotates.

The guide position is the position shown in FIG. 2, and the virtual line (indicated by the alternate long and short dash line a) extending the surface of the guide portion 422 facing the paper 21 toward the cutting portion 41 is the cutting edge 411. It is a position that passes through a space separated by a predetermined distance from. The predetermined distance is appropriately determined according to the characteristics of the paper 21. More specifically, the paper 21 that can be used and bends most strongly in the direction approaching the cutting edge 411 is a distance that does not cover the cutting edge 411. When the guide portion 422 is in the guide position, the guide portion 422 guides the paper 21 in a direction in which the tip end portion of the paper 21 exceeds the cutting edge 411.

Further, when the paper 21 is pressed against the cutting edge 411, the guide portion 422 is pushed by the paper 21 and rotates around the shaft 421. The rotation direction at this time is a direction in which the pressing force of the paper 21 is released, and is a clockwise direction in FIG. As a result, the guide portion 422 moves to the cutting position. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a movable guide portion 42 at a cutting position. The cutting position is a position closer to the root side of the cutting portion 41 than the paper 21 pressed against the cutting edge 411, and at this position, the end portion 423 does not hinder the cutting of the paper 21 by the cutting edge 411. ..

Here, like the manual cutting device 4 of the present embodiment, the cutting edge 411 that directly contacts the paper 21 and cuts the paper 21 has a shape like a saw blade in which "ridges" and "valleys" are repeated. In some cases, the conventional paper guide unit has an inconvenience due to immobility (that is, the direction in which the paper 21 is guided is constant) as in the following example.

When the paper guide is immobile, it is sufficient to guide the paper 21 in a direction beyond the top 412 of the "mountain" of the cutting edge 411 so that the paper 21 does not get caught in the cutting edge 411 in order to avoid a paper jam. Since the bending angle of the paper 21 cannot be secured, it is inconvenient when cutting the paper 21. On the other hand, if the sharpness of the paper 21 is prioritized and the paper 21 is guided toward the bottom 413 of the "valley" of the cutting edge 411, the tip of the paper 21 hits the cutting portion 41 and the paper is likely to be jammed.

As in the above example, in the conventional paper guide unit having a constant paper guide direction, it is difficult to prevent paper jam and secure sharpness in the cutting device 4 for manual cutting. Therefore, in the cutting device 4 of the present embodiment, the paper is guided by the movable guide portion 42 having a structure that both prevents paper jams and secures sharpness.

In the above example, a saw blade-shaped cutting edge 411 is described as an example in order to make it easier to imagine the situation. However, even if the shape of the cutting edge is straight, when the paper 21 is guided in a direction beyond the tip of the cutting edge, it becomes difficult to secure a sufficient bending angle of the paper 21 for cutting as in the above case. Needless to say, it ends up.

The movable guide portion 42 is located at the guide position shown in FIG. 2 in a state where no external force is applied by the paper 21 or the like. Further, the movable guide portion 42 is provided with a rotation stop member or the like that determines the rotation range, and is further away from the cutting edge 411 than when the end portion 423 is in the guide position (centered on the shaft 421 in FIG. 2). The structure is such that it does not rotate in the counterclockwise direction.

Further, the movable guide portion 42 moves to the cutting position shown in FIG. 4 when an external force due to the paper 21 or the like is applied in the upward direction (clockwise direction about the axis 421) in FIG. The external force generated by the paper 21 is released when the cutting of the paper 21 is completed. Then, the movable guide portion 42 returns to the guide position due to its own weight as the external force is released.

In the present embodiment, the movable guide portion 42 is positioned at the guide position in a state where no external force is applied, and returns to the guide position from the cutting position due to its own weight when the external force is released. Not limited to. In particular, when the movable guide portion has a structure that cannot return to the guide position due to its own weight, the movable guide portion further adds an urging member or the like in order to obtain a force for returning from the cutting position to the guide position. By providing it, the same operation as that of the present embodiment becomes possible. For example, when the structure shown in FIG. 2 has an inverted structure, the weight of the movable guide portion 42 cannot be used for returning, so it is advisable to add an urging member (spring or the like) having an appropriate urging force.

Returning to FIG. 2, the detection unit 43 includes a sensor 431, a substrate 432, and a piece to be detected 433.

The sensor 431 is, for example, a transmissive photo interrupter, and includes a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit arranged with a slit in between. The board 432 is a PC board (printed circuit board) to which the sensor 431 is attached. The board 432 controls the input / output of the sensor 431. Alternatively, the substrate 432 controls the light emission of the sensor 431 and outputs according to the presence or absence of light reception.

The detected piece 433 is a thin and small plate-shaped member, which is attached to the surface of the movable guide portion 42 opposite to the surface facing the paper 21, and moves with the movement of the movable guide portion 42. When the movable guide portion 42 moves significantly beyond a predetermined degree, the detected piece 433 enters the slit between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion included in the sensor 431 and is detected by the sensor 431. Here, FIG. 5 shows a state in which a paper jam has occurred and the movable guide portion 42 is pushed and moved (rotated) by the jammed paper 21, and a state in which the detected piece 433 is detected by the sensor 431 is shown. It is a figure which shows.

With the above configuration, the detection unit 43 detects that the amount of movement of the movable guide unit 42 from the guide position exceeds a value (predetermined value) as a guideline for the occurrence of a paper jam, thereby causing a paper jam. Is detected. In other words, the detection unit 43 detects when the movable guide unit 42 is located in a predetermined position range within the movable range, thereby detecting the occurrence of a paper jam.

The configuration of the detection unit 43 described above is an example, and the detection unit may be different from the illustrated configuration as long as it has the same function. For example, the detection unit may detect that the rotation angle of the movable guide unit 42 exceeds a predetermined value as the movement amount. Further, in the present embodiment, the detected piece 433 is attached to the movable guide portion 42, and the sensor 431 detects the position of the movable guide portion 42 via the detected piece 433. However, in the implementation, the sensor 431 is directly movable. If the position of the guide portion 42 can be detected, the detected piece 433 is unnecessary.

The printer 1 having such a configuration is used, for example, as an ATM usage statement printer, a cash register receipt printer, or the like.

In the printer 1, the printing unit 3 pulls out the paper 21 from the roll paper 20 held by the paper holding unit 2 by rotating the platen roller 32, and prints by the printing head 31. The printed paper 21 is conveyed by the further rotation of the platen roller 32, advances along the paper conveying path 44, crosses the cutting portion 41, and is ejected from the paper ejection port 5.

When the operator (user) picks and pulls a part of the paper 21 that has come out of the printer 1 from the paper ejection port 5, the paper 21 is pressed against the cutting edge 411. At this time, the movable guide portion 42 is pushed by the portion of the paper 21 on the upstream side of the cutting edge 411. As a result, the movable guide portion 42 moves from the guide position shown in FIG. 2 to the cutting position shown in FIG.

When the paper 21 is further pulled by the operator, the top 412 of each "mountain" of the cutting edge 411 is pierced into the paper 21. Then, when the paper 21 reaches the bottom 413 of the "valley", the cutting of the paper 21 is completed.

The movable guide portion 42 further moves from the cutting position by the amount of the height difference g while the paper 21 reaches the top 412 to the bottom 413. Therefore, the movable guide portion 42 does not prevent the paper 21 from reaching the top 412 to the bottom 413, that is, does not prevent the paper 21 from being cut.

Further, in the printer 1 having such a configuration, the tip end portion of the paper 21 after cutting is located on the upstream side of the cutting portion 41. The movable guide portion 42 moves the tip end portion of the paper 21 to a position slightly distant from the cutting edge 411 by returning from the cutting position to the guide position when the cutting of the paper 21 is completed. When the next printing (or conveying) is performed in this state, the tip end portion of the paper 21 moves beyond the cutting edge 411 to the downstream side of the cutting edge 411.

Here, when the paper 21 is clogged on the upstream side of the cutting edge 411 due to the occurrence of some unexpected situation, the movable guide portion 42 is in the state shown in FIG. At this time, the movable guide portion 42 rotates clockwise around the shaft 421 in the drawing. Along with this rotation, the detected piece 433 also moves. When the detected piece 433 enters the slit of the sensor 431, the light emitted by the light emitting portion is prevented from being incident on the light receiving portion because of being hindered by the detected piece 433. As a result, the sensor 431 detects the piece to be detected 433, that is, detects that the movable guide portion 42 has moved beyond a predetermined movement amount (a value used as a guideline for the occurrence of a paper jam).

As described above, according to the cutting device 4 and the printer 1 of the present embodiment, the movable guide portion 42 can direct the paper 21 in a direction that does not cover the cutting edge 411, thereby making it difficult for paper jams to occur. Can be done. Further, by using the movable guide portion 42 that operates so as not to hinder the cutting of the paper 21, the performance of the cutting portion 41 can be fully utilized and good cutting performance can be obtained.

Further, according to the present embodiment, even if a paper jam occurs, it can be detected by the detection unit 43, so that it is possible to take appropriate measures against the occurrence of the paper jam.

Further, in the present embodiment, since the detection unit 43 is configured to utilize the configuration and operation of the movable guide unit 42, it is compared with the case where the guide of the paper 21 and the detection of the paper jam are each composed of separate parts. As a result, the number of parts can be reduced, and the effects of reducing manufacturing man-hours and cost can be obtained.

In the above embodiment, the movable guide portion 42 moves by rotating around the shaft 421, but in carrying out the movement, the movable guide portion 42 may move differently. For example, the movable guide portion 42 may move in parallel.

(Example of device to which a printer is applied)
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the self-checkout device 100. The self-checkout device 100 is an example of a register to which the printer 1 of the above embodiment is applied. The self-checkout device 100 is also called a self-registration or a self-POS. The printer 1 functions as a printer that prints a receipt or the like issued by the self-checkout device 100 when payment is completed.

The main body 102 of the self-checkout device 100 includes a display device 104 on which a touch panel 103 is arranged on the surface, and a scanner 105.

The display device 104 is, for example, a liquid crystal display. The display device 104 displays a guidance screen, an input screen, a registration screen, a settlement screen, and the like. The guidance screen informs the customer of how to operate the self-checkout device 100. The input screen accepts input of product information of products without a code symbol. The registration screen displays the product information of the product registered as a purchased item. The settlement screen displays the total amount of goods, the amount of deposit, the amount of change, etc., and accepts the selection of payment method. The touch panel 103 accepts operations according to the display contents of the display device 104.

The scanner 105 includes a reading window 105a provided on the front surface of the main body 102, and an imaging unit built in a position at the back of the reading window 105a in the main body 102. The image pickup unit captures the appearance of the product held over the reading window 105a to obtain a captured image. Based on this captured image, the self-checkout device 100 obtains product information such as a price.

In addition, the self-checkout device 100 includes product mounting stands 106 and 107. The product mounting tables 106 and 107 are provided with a measuring instrument for checking whether the weight of the product is the same before and after the settlement. The product mounting stand 106 is for placing uncleared products in the basket, and is provided on the right side of the main body 102.

The product mounting table 107 is for placing the products that have been settled, and is provided on the left side of the main body 102. The product mounting stand 107 includes a bag hook 108 for hanging a bag for storing the settled products, and a temporary stand 109 for temporarily placing the settled products before putting them in the bag. It is provided.

Further, the main body 102 includes a card insertion slot 110, a receipt issuing slot 111, a bill deposit / withdrawal slot 112, a coin insertion slot 113, a coin outlet 114, and the like.

The card insertion slot 110 accepts the insertion of a point card or a credit card to be read by a card reader at the back of the card insertion slot 110.

The bill deposit / withdrawal port 112 is an opening for the bill deposit / withdrawal unit provided inside the main body 102 to accept and withdraw bills. The coin insertion slot 113 is an opening for the coin deposit / withdrawal unit provided inside the main body 102 to receive coin insertion. The coin outlet 114 is an opening for the coin deposit / withdrawal unit to pay out coins to the outside of the main body 102.

The main body 102 includes the printer 1 of the above embodiment behind the receipt issuing port 111. The printer 1 prints the details of the transaction performed by the self-checkout device 100. The receipt issuing port 111 issues a receipt printed by the printer 1.

Further, the main body 102 is provided with a pole on the upper surface, and a warning light 115 is provided on the upper part of the pole. The warning light 115 is turned on when there is an abnormality in the operation of the self-checkout device 100 or when a clerk is called.

In addition to the self-checkout device 100 described above, the device to which the printer 1 is applied includes a POS terminal device, a semi-self POS, and the like if it is a register. Further, even if it is not a register, the printer 1 and the cutting device 4 of the above-described embodiment can be applied as long as it prints on roll paper and issues it and manually cuts the paper.

Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other embodiments, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

1 ... Printer 2 ... Paper holding part, 20 ... Roll paper, 21 ... Paper 3 ... Printing part, 31 ... Printing head, 32 ... Platen roller 4 ... Cutting device 41 ... Cutting part, 411 ... Cutting edge, 412 ... Top, 413 ... Bottom 42 ... Movable guide, 421 ... Axis, 422 ... Guide, 423 ... End 43 ... Detection, 431 ... Sensor, 432 ... Board, 433 ... Detected piece 44 ... Paper transport path 5 ... Paper outlet 100 … Self-checkout device (register)
111 ... Receipt issuing port

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-235041

Claims (5)

A cutting device for manually cutting strips of paper.
A cutting portion having a cutting edge rip pressing was portions of the media under end,
The paper is provided on the upstream side in the paper transport direction with respect to the cutting portion, faces the surface on the same side as the surface facing the cutting edge of the paper, and guides the paper in a direction in which the tip end portion of the paper exceeds the cutting edge. When it is movable between the guide position and the cutting position which is the root side of the cutting portion with respect to the paper pressed against the cutting edge and is pressed against the paper pressed against the cutting edge. It moves to the cutting position and returns to the guide position by its own weight when the external force is released by the paper, and is rotatably supported by the shaft along the width direction of the paper and the shaft. A movable guide portion having a guide portion for guiding the paper by an end portion far from the shaft, and a movable guide portion having the guide portion.
A cutting device comprising. The cutting device according to claim 1 , wherein the transport path through which the paper is conveyed is a downhill on the upstream side and an uphill on the downstream side across the cutting edge. The cutting device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a detecting unit for detecting the occurrence of a paper jam in the movable guide unit. 3. The detection unit is characterized in that it detects the occurrence of a paper jam by detecting that the movable guide unit is located in a predetermined position range within the movement range of the movable guide unit. The cutting device described in. The cutting device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A paper holder that holds strips of paper,
The printing part to be printed on the paper and
A printer equipped with.

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