Medium carrying device and medium processing system using the same

Abstract

To enable a medium to be turned around and carried without damaging the medium, in changing a carrying direction of the medium to a crossing direction to carry the medium.SOLUTION: A medium carrying deice 11 comprises turning means 3 that carries out a medium S carried into an intersection area C from a first direction X, in a second direction Y. The turning means 3 comprises: pulling-in means 4 that pulls the medium S into the intersection area C while holding and carrying the medium; feeding-out means 5 that feeds out the medium S from the intersection area C while holding and carrying the medium in order to carry out the medium S toward the second direction Y; and state switching means 6 that can switch between a standing-by state where the pulling-in means 4 or a medium holding part of the feeding-out means 5 is set upper than a predetermined medium guiding reference surface G0 when the pulling-in means 4 or the feeding-out means 5 holds and carries the medium S and a retreating state where the pulling-in mean 4 or the feeding-out means 5 retreats so as not to block a carrying track of the medium S when the pulling-in means or the feeding-out means does not hold and carry the medium S, and switches either of the pulling-in means 4 and the feeding-out means 5 into the standing-by state and switches the other into the retreating state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a medium transport device and a medium processing system using the same. [Background technology]

[0002] As conventional medium conveying devices or image forming apparatuses using the same, those described in Patent Documents 1 to 3, for example, are already known. Patent Document 1 discloses an image forming apparatus including a first transport path and a second transport path that intersects the first transport path at a substantially right angle on the same plane, a turning section for changing the transport direction at the intersection of the first transport path and the second transport path, a first cutter mechanism for cutting both horizontal edges of the recording paper that are parallel to the first transport path in the first transport path, and a second cutter mechanism for cutting both vertical edges of the recording paper that are parallel to the second transport path in the second transport path. The turning section also includes a second transport roll pair and a third transport roll pair, and these transport roll pairs have upper and lower roll shafts that are arranged above and below each other so that the rolls sandwich the recording paper on the transport path. The lower roll shaft is supported so as not to be vertically movable, while the upper roll shaft is supported so as to be vertically movable by a predetermined amount. Patent Document 2 discloses an image forming device that has a second conveying path that is on the same plane as the first conveying path and perpendicular to it, and is equipped with a first pair of conveying rolls, a first cutter that cuts both ends of the sheet that are parallel to the first conveying direction, a second pair of conveying rolls that are able to come into contact with and separate from each other and convey the sheet in the first conveying direction, a third pair of conveying rolls that are able to come into contact with each other and convey the sheet in the second conveying direction, and a second cutter that cuts both ends of the sheet that are parallel to the second conveying direction, and the first cutter and the second cutter are configured as paired round blade cutters that have guide members that discharge sheet chips in a predetermined direction. Patent Document 3 discloses an image forming apparatus that includes an image forming unit and a cutting mechanism, the cutting mechanism including a conveying means and a cutting mechanism, the cutting mechanism including a first circular blade member and a second circular blade member that is provided by overlapping the cutting edge of the first circular blade member by a predetermined amount, and the positional relationship between the first circular blade member and the second circular blade member is configured to change within the range of the overlapping amount of the cutting edge. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2008-49461 A (Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention, Figure 2) [Patent Document 2] JP 2005-262408 A (Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention, Figure 3) [Patent Document 3] Patent No. 4915173 (Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention, Figure 5) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The technical problem that the present invention aims to solve is to provide a media transport device and a media processing system using the same that enable the change in direction of transport of media without damaging the media when the media transport direction is changed to an intersecting direction to transport the media. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A first technical feature of the present invention is a conveying device comprising: a first conveying path that conveys a medium along a first direction; a second conveying path that conveys the medium along a second direction that intersects with the first direction and has an intersecting area that intersects with the first conveying path on the same plane; and a diverting means that is provided at least in the intersecting area and that converts the medium that has been conveyed into the intersecting area from the first direction into the second direction and conveys it out, the diverting means including a drawing means that clamps and conveys the medium that has been conveyed from the first direction and draws it into the intersecting area, and a turning means that turns the medium that has been drawn into the intersecting area in the second direction. a feeding means for clamping and transporting the medium from within the intersection area to be fed out; and a state switching means for switching between a standby state in which the medium clamping portion of the retracting means or the feeding means is set above a predetermined medium guide reference plane when the retracting means or the feeding means is clamping and transporting the medium, and a retracted state in which the retracting means or the feeding means is retracted so as not to obstruct the transport trajectory of the medium when the retracting means or the feeding means is not clamping and transporting the medium, and for switching either the retracting means or the feeding means to the standby state and the other to the retracted state.

[0006] The second technical feature of the present invention is a media conveying device having the first technical feature, characterized in that the retraction means is composed of a pair of rotatable retraction rotors arranged above and below, the payout means is composed of a pair of rotatable payout rotors arranged above and below, and the pair of retraction rotors or the pair of payout rotors are brought into contact with each other to function as the media clamping section. A third technical feature of the present invention is that, in the medium transport device having the second technical feature, the state switching means includes a first contact / separation means for supporting the paired pull-in rotors so that they can move up and down, bringing the paired pull-in rotors into contact with each other at a standby position A1 located above the medium guide reference surface of the intersection area, and vertically separating from the standby position A1 to retract the paired pull-in rotors to a retracted position A2 where the paired pull-in rotors are spaced apart until at least an upper end of the lower pull-in rotor is below the medium guide reference surface; and a first contact / separation means for supporting the paired feed-out rotors so that they can move up and down, bringing the paired feed-out rotors into contact with each other at a standby position B1 located above the medium guide reference surface of the intersection area, and vertically separating from the standby position B1 to retract the paired pull-in rotors to a retracted position A2 where the paired pull-in rotors are spaced apart until at least an upper end of the lower pull-in rotor is below the medium guide reference surface. a second contact / separation means for retracting the paired feed rotor to a retract position B2 where the upper ends of the paired feed rotors located at the lower end of the paired feed rotors are spaced apart until they are below the media guide reference plane; and a drive control means for, when the medium is transported into the intersection area from the first direction, placing the paired pull-in rotor at the standby position A1 and driving it to rotate until the medium is pulled into the intersection area, and for placing the paired feed rotor at the retract position B2 and stopping the drive, and when the medium that has been pulled into the intersection area is transported out in the second direction, placing the paired pull-in rotor at the retract position A2 and stopping the drive, and for placing the paired feed rotor at the standby position B1 and driving it to rotate. A fourth technical feature of the present invention is a media conveying device having the third technical feature, characterized in that the first contact / separation means or the second contact / separation means has a paired position change mechanism that moves the paired retracting rotor or the paired feeding rotor up and down separately. A fifth technical feature of the present invention is a media transport device having the fourth technical feature, characterized in that the position change mechanism comprises a rotating eccentric cam and a link mechanism that moves the positions of both ends of the rotation axis of the retracting rotor or the feeding rotor up and down in conjunction with the rotation position of the eccentric cam.

[0007] A sixth technical feature of the present invention is a media transport device having the third technical feature, characterized in that the retraction means or the payout means is a media transport device in which the paired retraction rotors or the paired payout rotors are arranged in multiple stages in the first direction or the second direction. A seventh technical feature of the present invention is a media conveying device having the sixth technical feature, characterized in that the first contact / separation means or the second contact / separation means has a paired position change mechanism that moves the paired retracting rotors or the paired dispensing rotors arranged in multiple stages up and down separately in common for multiple stages. An eighth technical feature of the present invention is a media transport device having the third technical feature, characterized in that it comprises a first position detection means for detecting that the operation of drawing the media into the intersection area has been completed, and a second position detection means for detecting that the operation of feeding the media out from the intersection area has been completed, and the drive control means controls the first contact / separation means and the second contact / separation means based on detection signals from the first position detection means and the second position detection means. A ninth technical feature of the present invention is a medium conveying device having the eighth technical feature, characterized in that the first position detection means is provided within the intersection area, and the second position detection means is provided on the second conveying path outside the intersection area. A tenth technical feature of the present invention is a media transport device having the second technical feature, characterized in that the intersection area has a guide member that guides the back surface of the media, the surface of the guide member is the media guide reference surface, and the guide member has an opening through which the retracting rotor located below the retracting rotor of the pair or the feeding rotor located below the feeding rotor of the pair appears and disappears at the boundary of the media guide reference surface.

[0008] An eleventh technical feature of the present invention is a media processing system comprising a media conveying device having the first technical feature and a processing means for performing a predetermined process on the media on the first conveying path or the second conveying path.

[0009] A twelfth technical feature of the present invention is a media processing system having the eleventh technical feature, characterized in that the processing means has a cutting means for cutting both ends of the medium in the first direction and the second direction, and the cutting means has a first cutting means provided in an area of ​​the first conveying path other than the intersection area and cutting both ends of the medium in a direction intersecting the first direction, and a second cutting means provided in an area of ​​the second conveying path other than the intersection area and cutting both ends of the medium in a direction intersecting the second direction. A thirteenth technical feature of the present invention is a media processing system having the twelfth technical feature, characterized in that the first cutting means or the second cutting means comprises a pair of conveying rolls provided in an area near the axial center of the paired rotating shafts, and a pair of circular blade cutters provided near both axial ends of the rotating shafts, with their outer peripheries overlapping and meshing with each other to rotate. A fourteenth technical feature of the present invention is a media processing system having the thirteenth technical feature, characterized in that the first cutting means or the second cutting means is provided with a cutting position adjustment means for adjusting the axial spacing between the pair of circular blade cutters provided on both axial sides of the rotating shaft. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the first technical feature of the present invention, when the transport direction of a medium is changed to a crossing direction and the medium is transported, the direction of the medium can be changed and transported without damaging the medium. According to the second technical feature of the present invention, a typical embodiment of the retraction means and the extension means can be constructed more easily than when the paired rotor system is not used. According to the third technical feature of the present invention, by using a pair of retracting rotors and a pair of feeding rotors, it is possible to easily realize a standby state in which the medium is transported and a retracted state in which the medium is not transported. According to the fourth technical feature of the present invention, the approaching and separating operation of the paired retracting rotors or the paired advancing rotors can be easily achieved compared to a system in which the paired retracting rotors or the paired advancing rotors are not moved up and down separately. According to the fifth technical feature of the present invention, it is possible to easily realize a position change mechanism, which is a representative aspect of the first contact / separation means or the second contact / separation means. According to the sixth technical feature of the present invention, it is possible to stably realize direction-changing transport of large-sized media compared to an embodiment in which there is one pair of pull-in rotors and one pair of pay-out rotors. According to the seventh technical feature of the present invention, in an embodiment in which paired retracting rotors or paired advancing rotors are arranged in multiple stages, the first separating / attaching means or the second separating / attaching means can be constructed more simply than when the first separating / attaching means or the second separating / attaching means is constructed individually in multiple stages. According to the eighth technical feature of the present invention, the contacting and separating operations of the first contacting and separating means and the second contacting and separating means can be accurately realized. According to the ninth technical feature of the present invention, it is possible to more accurately grasp the drawing of the medium into the intersection area and the feeding of the medium out of the intersection area compared to when the first position detection means and the second position detection means are installed in different locations. According to the tenth technical feature of the present invention, even if a factor that could damage the medium exists in the intersecting area, it is possible to realize direction change and transport of the medium without damaging the medium. According to an eleventh technical feature of the present invention, a media processing system can be constructed that includes a media transport device that enables the direction of media transport to be changed to an intersecting direction without damaging the media. According to the twelfth technical feature of the present invention, when the transport direction of a medium is changed to a perpendicular direction and the medium is transported, the direction of the medium can be changed and transported without damaging the medium, and the cutting process of each side of the medium can be carried out smoothly. According to the thirteenth technical feature of the present invention, a media processing system can be easily constructed by implementing a representative aspect of the first cutting means or the second cutting means. According to the fourteenth technical feature of the present invention, even if the size of the medium changes, the medium can be conveyed by changing the direction without being damaged, and each side of the medium can be cut appropriately. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] (a) is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of an embodiment of a media processing system including a media conveying device to which the present invention is applied, (b) is an explanatory diagram showing the behavior of the retraction means when the media is turned in the intersection area, and (c) is an explanatory diagram showing the behavior of the payout means when the media is turned in the intersection area. [Figure 2] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the overall configuration of a medium processing system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] 1 is an explanatory plan view showing an example of a medium transport device used to perform a medium cutting process in the medium processing system according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is an explanatory view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. 3. [Figure 5] 4 is an explanatory view taken along the arrow VV in FIG. 3. [Figure 6] (a) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the configuration of a cutter unit used in a media processing system, (b) is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic diagram of the cutting operation by the cutter unit, (c) is an explanatory diagram of the cutter unit viewed from the direction of media transport, and (d) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the configuration that regulates the vertical movement range of the upper cutter element of the cutter unit. [Figure 7] 1A is an explanatory diagram showing the standby position of the retraction unit or the feeding unit when a medium is being transported, and FIG. 1B is an explanatory diagram showing the retreated position of the retraction unit or the feeding unit when a medium is not being transported. [Figure 8] FIG. 1(a) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a nip release mechanism of a retraction unit or a feed-out unit, and FIG. 1(b) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a method for restricting the vertical movement of the retraction unit or the feed-out unit, which is the area surrounded by the dashed line B in FIG. [Figure 9]9 is an explanatory diagram showing an operating state in which the retraction unit or the feed-out unit is moved from the standby position to the retracted position by the nip release mechanism shown in FIG. 8. FIG. [Figure 10] 4 is an explanatory diagram that schematically shows a drive control system of the medium conveying device shown in FIG. 3. FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a flowchart for controlling a medium cutting process. [Figure 12] 10(a) to 10(d) are explanatory diagrams showing the behavior of the retraction unit when controlling the medium cutting process. [Figure 13] 10(a) to 10(d) are explanatory diagrams showing the behavior of the feeding unit when controlling the medium cutting process. [Figure 14] 1A is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the configuration of a retraction unit used in the first modified embodiment, and FIG. 1B is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the configuration of a feed-out unit used in the first modified embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is an explanatory plan view showing a main part of a medium conveying device according to a second modified embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is an explanatory plan view showing a main part of a medium conveying device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 10(a) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the configuration of the first or second cutter unit used in the second embodiment, and FIG. 10(b) is an explanatory perspective view of part B in FIG. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a flowchart for controlling a cutter interval adjustment process of the cutter unit. [Figure 19] (a) is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which both cutters of the cutter unit are positioned at the reference standby position, (b) is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which both cutters of the cutter unit are positioned outside the reference standby position, and (c) is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which both cutters of the cutter unit are positioned inside the reference standby position. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a method for determining an adjustment amount of a cutter interval. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Overview of the implementation form FIG. 1(a) shows an outline of an embodiment of a media processing system including a media transport device to which the present invention is applied. In this example, the medium conveying device 11 includes a first conveying path 1 that conveys the medium S along a first direction X, a second conveying path 2 that conveys the medium S along a second direction Y that is perpendicular to the first direction X and has an intersection area C that intersects with the first conveying path 1 on the same plane, and a turning means 3 that is provided at least in the intersection area C and converts the medium S that has been conveyed into the intersection area C from the first direction X into the second direction Y and conveys it out. In particular, in this embodiment, the turning means 3 is equipped with a retracting means 4 that clamps and transports the medium S carried in from a first direction X and draws it into the intersection area C, as shown in Figures 1(a) to 1(c), a dispensing means 5 that clamps and transports the medium S from within the intersection area C to transport the medium S drawn into the intersection area C toward a second direction Y, and a state switching means 6 that can be switched between a standby state in which the medium clamping portion of the retracting means 4 or the dispensing means 5 is set above a predetermined medium guide reference plane G0 when the retracting means 4 or the dispensing means 5 clamps and transports the medium S, and a retracted state in which the retracting means 4 or the dispensing means 5 retracts so as not to obstruct the transport trajectory of the medium S when the retracting means 4 or the dispensing means 5 is not clamping and transporting the medium S, and switches either the retracting means 4 or the dispensing means 5 to the standby state and the other to the retracted state. In the following description of the embodiment, the first direction X and the second direction Y are perpendicular to each other, but the application of the invention is not limited to this. For example, the second direction Y may be at an angle of 45° from the first direction X.

[0013] In such a technical means, the first transport path 1 and the second transport path 2 are arranged on the same plane and perpendicular to each other via the intersecting area C. Furthermore, the turning means 3 basically only needs to be located within the intersection area C, but this is not limited to this, and in addition to the intersection area C, it is also possible to use the area of ​​the first conveying path 1 or the second conveying path 2 adjacent to the intersection area C. That is, it is sufficient that at least one retraction means 4 and one payout means 5, which are components of the turning means 3, are provided within the intersection area C, but in order to perform the retraction or payout operation of the medium S more stably, they may be arranged in the area of ​​the first transport path 1 or the second transport path 2 adjacent to the intersection area C. Furthermore, when a large-sized medium S, for example, A4 size according to JIS standards, is to be transported, the retraction means 4 or payout means 5 may be arranged in multiple stages within the intersection area C.

[0014] Furthermore, the retracting means 4 and the feeding means 5 may be any means capable of clamping and transporting the medium S, and a medium clamping section may be formed by a pair of retracting members or feeding members. Furthermore, the state switching means 6 may be appropriately selected as long as it can selectively switch between a standby state in which the medium S is clamped and transported, and a retracted state in which the medium S is not clamped and transported. Here, the "standby state" requires that the medium clamping section is above the medium guide reference surface G0 (a reference surface (e.g., the guide member surface) that guides the medium S in the intersection area C), and the "retracted state" requires that the transport trajectory of the medium S is not obstructed when the medium S is not clamped and transported.

[0015] In this way, in this example, when the medium S is drawn into the intersection area C, the state switching means 6 switches the drawing means 4 to the "standby state" and the feeding means 5 to the "retracted state." At this time, the medium S traveling from the first transport path 1 toward the intersection area C is clamped by the medium clamping portion of the retraction unit 4 and transported. In this state, the medium clamping portion is located above the medium guide reference surface G0, so the transported medium S is not transported while being pressed against the medium guide reference surface G0. Therefore, although holes (openings) for arranging the retraction unit 4 and the feeding unit 5 are usually formed in the guide member that forms the medium guide reference surface G0, there is no concern that the medium S will be pressed against the holes in the guide member and cause dents or wrinkles. Furthermore, while the retraction unit 4 is performing the retraction process of the medium S, the feeding unit 5 is in a retracted state and is retracted so as not to obstruct the transport trajectory of the medium S, so the medium S being retracted by the retraction unit 4 will not interfere with the feeding unit 5.

[0016] Then, when the process of drawing the medium S into the intersection area C is completed, the state switching means 6 switches the drawing means 4 to a "retracted state" and the feeding means 5 to a "standby state" when the medium S drawn into the intersection area C is to be fed in the second direction Y. At this time, the medium S heading from the intersection area C to the second transport path 2 is clamped by the medium clamping portion of the feed-out means 5 and transported. In this state, the medium clamping portion is positioned above the medium guide reference surface G0, so the transported medium S is not transported while being pressed against the medium guide reference surface G0. Therefore, there is no concern that the medium S will be pressed against the holes in the guide member and become dented or wrinkled. Furthermore, while the feed-out process of the medium S is being performed by the feed-out means 5, the retraction means 4 is in a retracted state and is retracted so as not to obstruct the transport trajectory of the medium S, so the medium S being fed by the feed-out means 5 will not interfere with the retraction means 4.

[0017] A representative or preferred embodiment of such a medium transport device 11 will be described. 1(b) and 1(c), a representative embodiment of the medium conveying device 11 is one in which the retraction means 4 is composed of a pair of rotatable retraction rotors 7 (specifically, 7a and 7b) arranged above and below, and the feeding means 5 is composed of a pair of rotatable feed rotors 8 (specifically, 8a and 8b) arranged above and below, and the pair of retraction rotors 7 or the pair of feed rotors 8 are brought into contact with each other to function as a medium clamping unit. In this example, the pair of retraction rotors 7 or the pair of feed rotors 8 is not limited to a pair of rotating rolls, but may also be a combination of a rotating roll and a rotating belt.

[0018] As a representative embodiment of the state switching means 6, as shown in FIG. 1(b), a first contact / separation means 6a supports paired retracting rotors 7 (7a, 7b) vertically movably, brings the paired retracting rotors 7 (7a, 7b) into contact at a standby position A1 located above the medium guide reference plane G0 in the intersection area C, and retracts the paired retracting rotors 7 (7a, 7b) to a retracted position A2 where the paired retracting rotors 7 (7a, 7b) are vertically separated from the standby position A1 until the upper end of at least the lower retracting rotor 7b is below the medium guide reference plane G0; and a first contact / separation means 6a supports paired feeding rotors 8 (8a, 8b) vertically movably, brings the paired feeding rotors 8 (8a, 8b) into contact at a standby position B1 located above the medium guide reference plane G0 in the intersection area C, and retracts the paired feeding rotors 7 (7a, 7b) to a retracted position A2 where the paired retracting rotors 7 (7a, 7b) are vertically separated from the standby position A1 until the upper end of the lower feeding rotor 7b is below the medium guide reference plane G0. An example embodiment includes a second contact / separation means 6b that retracts the paired payout rotors 8 (8a, 8b) to a retracted position B2 that moves away from the standby position B1 in the vertical direction until at least the upper end of the lower payout rotor 8b is below the media guide reference plane G0; and a drive control means 6c that, when transporting the medium S into the intersection area C from the first direction X, places the paired pull-in rotor 7 at the standby position A1 and drives it to rotate until the medium S is drawn into the intersection area C, and places the paired payout rotor 8 at the retracted position B2 and stops driving it; and, when transporting the medium S drawn into the intersection area C in the second direction Y, places the paired pull-in rotor 7 at the retracted position A2 and stops driving it, and places the paired payout rotor 8 at the standby position B1 and drives it to rotate. Here, the standby positions A1, B1 and the retracted positions A2, B2 may be set at the same position relative to the medium guide reference plane G0, but it is of course also possible to set them at different positions. In addition, in this example, a representative embodiment of the intersection area C is one in which it has a guide member that guides the back surface of the medium S, the surface of the guide member being the medium guide reference plane G0, and the guide member has an opening (not shown) through which the retracting rotor 7b located below the paired retracting rotor 7 or the payout rotor 8b located below the paired payout rotor 8 appears and disappears at the media guide reference plane G0.

[0019] In this type of medium transport device 11, a preferred embodiment of the first contacting / separating means 6a or the second contacting / separating means 6b is one having a paired position changing mechanism that independently moves the paired retracting rotor 7 or the paired feeding rotor 8 up and down. When linking the up and down movements of the paired retracting rotor 7 or the paired feeding rotor 8 up and down, a mechanism for linking movements in different operating directions is required, but this example is preferable in that it has a simple configuration that does not use such a linking mechanism. A representative embodiment of this type of paired position change mechanism includes a mechanism that includes a rotating eccentric cam and a link mechanism that moves up and down the positions of both ends of the rotation shaft of the retracting rotor 7 or the dispensing rotor 8 in conjunction with the rotation position of the eccentric cam. Of course, the paired position change mechanism may be appropriately selected, for example, by using an actuator such as a solenoid to move up and down the positions of both ends of the rotation shaft of the retracting rotor 7 or the dispensing rotor 8.

[0020] A preferred embodiment of the retracting means 4 or the feeding means 5 is one in which a pair of retracting rotors 7 or a pair of feeding rotors 8 are arranged in multiple stages in the first direction X or the second direction Y. In this case, when a large-sized medium S, such as a JIS A4 size medium, is drawn into the intersection area C and its direction is changed, it is preferable to arrange a plurality of pairs of drawing-in rotors 7 or a plurality of pairs of feeding rotors 8 in the intersection area C. Even when a small-sized medium S, such as a postcard, is drawn into the intersection area C, as shown in FIG. 1(a), the first conveying means 16 arranged at a location adjacent to the intersection area C of the first conveying path 1 may also serve as an element of the drawing-in means 4, or the second conveying means 17 arranged at a location adjacent to the intersection area C of the second conveying path 2 may also serve as an element of the feeding means 5.

[0021] In addition, a preferred embodiment of the drive control means 6c includes a first position detection means (not shown) that detects that the operation of drawing the medium S into the intersection area C has been completed, and a second position detection means (not shown) that detects that the operation of feeding the medium S out from the intersection area C has been completed, and the drive control means 6c controls the first contact / separation means 6a and the second contact / separation means 6b based on the detection signals of the first position detection means and the second position detection means. Here, the first position detection means and the second position detection means may be disposed within the intersection region C, or may be disposed outside the intersection region C. A preferred layout of the first position detection means and the second position detection means is such that the first position detection means is provided within the intersection area C, and the second position detection means is provided on the second transport path 2 outside the intersection area C. This example is preferred because it makes it easy to directly grasp the operation of drawing the medium S into the intersection area C and the operation of feeding the medium S out of the intersection area C.

[0022] This type of medium transport device 11 is used in a medium processing system 10 that processes a medium S, when the medium S is transported by changing its direction from a first direction X to a second direction Y. That is, the medium processing system 10 only needs to include the medium transport device 11 described above and a processing unit 12 that performs a predetermined process on the medium S on the first transport path 1 or the second transport path 2. Here, the medium processing system 10 includes not only a mode in which the medium transport device 11 and the processing means 12 are mounted in one housing, but also a mode in which they are mounted separately in multiple housings. Furthermore, the processing means 12 may include, for example, cutting means 13 that cuts both ends of the medium S in the first direction X and the second direction Y, but is not limited to this and may be anything that performs a predetermined process on the medium S, and may broadly include an image forming means (not shown) that forms an image on the medium S, various post-processing means (not shown) that perform post-processing on the medium S such as punching or folding, etc.

[0023] In particular, a representative embodiment of the cutting means 13 includes a first cutting means 14 provided in an area of ​​the first conveying path 1 other than the intersection area C, which cuts both ends of the medium S in a direction intersecting with the first direction X, and a second cutting means 15 provided in an area of ​​the second conveying path 2 other than the intersection area C, which cuts both ends of the medium S in a direction intersecting with the second direction Y. Here, a representative embodiment of the first cutting means 14 or the second cutting means 15 includes an embodiment that includes a pair of conveying rolls provided in an area near the center of the axial direction of the paired rotating shaft, and a pair of round blade cutters provided near both axial ends of the rotating shaft, with their outer peripheries overlapping and meshing with each other to rotate. Furthermore, a preferred embodiment of the first cutting means 14 or the second cutting means 15 is one that includes a cutting position adjustment means for adjusting the axial distance between a pair of circular blade cutters provided on both axial sides of the rotation shaft. This embodiment is effective for appropriately cutting the ends of media S of different sizes, or even when the sizes of media S are different due to environmental changes such as temperature and humidity, even if the media S are the same size.

[0024] The present invention will be described in more detail below based on the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. Embodiment 1 FIG. 2 shows the overall configuration of an image forming system as a medium processing system according to the first embodiment. -Overall configuration of image formation system- In the same figure, the image forming system 20 has an apparatus main body 22 equipped with an image forming unit 21 capable of forming color images, and an optional post-processing device 70 is attached to the upper part of the apparatus main body 22, while a multi-tiered media supply container 61 (61a, 61b) for supplying media such as paper is housed below the apparatus main body 22 and can be pulled out.

[0025] -Image forming unit- The image forming unit 21 used in this embodiment employs, for example, an electrophotographic system and has a so-called tandem configuration in which four image forming sections 30 (30a-30d) for four colors—yellow (Y color), magenta (M color), cyan (C color), and black (K color)—are arranged in parallel relative to a belt-like intermediate transfer body 40. Therefore, the image forming unit 21 multiplexes the toner images of each color formed by each image forming section 30 (30a-30d) by sequential primary transfer onto the intermediate transfer body 40, for example, and then transfers and fixes the multiplexed toner images collectively onto the medium S conveyed from the medium supply container 61. The color arrangement of the four image forming sections 30 is not limited to this order, and other orders are also acceptable. Furthermore, the number of colors of the image forming sections 30 may be increased to include white, transparent colors, special colors, and the like.

[0026] The image forming unit 30 (30a to 30d) in this embodiment is composed of a photoconductor 31 as an image carrier that forms and carries a toner image of each color component, a charger 32 such as a charging roll that charges the photoconductor 31, an exposure unit 33 such as a laser scanner that forms a latent image on the charged photoconductor 31, a developer 34 that visualizes the electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor 31, a primary transfer unit 35 consisting of, for example, a primary transfer roll that primarily transfers the toner image on the photoconductor 31 onto an intermediate transfer body 40, a photoconductor cleaner 36 that cleans residual toner remaining on the photoconductor 31, and a static eliminator 37 that eliminates residual charge on the photoconductor 31. Note that the exposure unit 33 in this embodiment is configured to expose the entire four-color image forming unit 30 (30a to 30d) with a single exposure unit.

[0027] The intermediate transfer body 40 is stretched over a plurality of stretch rolls. For example, the stretch roll 41 serves as a drive roll to circulate and transport the intermediate transfer body 40, and the stretch roll 42 is disposed opposite the stretch roll 41 as a backup roll for a secondary transfer device 43, which is, for example, a secondary transfer roll. Furthermore, an intermediate transfer body cleaner 44 is disposed at a position opposite the stretch roll 41 of the intermediate transfer body 40 to remove residual toner on the intermediate transfer body 40. Furthermore, within the device main body 22, above the intermediate transfer body 40, four color toner boxes 45 are provided to supply toner corresponding to each of the developing devices 34 of each image forming unit 30, and toner corresponding to each color is supplied to the developing devices 34 via a transport path not shown.

[0028] Furthermore, the medium transport system 60 in this embodiment is configured as follows: The medium S delivered by the pickup rolls 62 from each medium supply container 61 (61a, 61b) is separated by the action of the feed rolls 63 and the retard rolls 64, and only one medium S is transported downstream into the transport path 65. Also provided in the transport path 65 are an alignment roll 66 that aligns the medium S transported from the medium supply container 61 before it enters the secondary transfer device 43, and a first fixer 50 that fixes the unfixed toner image transferred onto the medium S by the secondary transfer device 43. Also provided downstream of the first fixer 50 is a switching member 67. By switching this switching member 67, the medium S that leaves the first fixer 50 can be routed in two directions: to the post-processing device 70 side or to a first discharge receiver 68 side that receives the medium S that is directly discharged from the device main body 22. In this example, the upper medium supply container 61a contains small-sized (e.g., postcard-sized) media S, and the lower medium supply container 61b contains large-sized (e.g., JIS standard A4 or A3) media S. The medium S contained in the upper medium supply container 61a has an image-receiving layer made of the same type of resin as the resin that makes up the base material of the toner on the surface onto which the toner image is transferred, and can be subjected to a high-gloss treatment by a second fixer described below. Although two medium supply containers 61a and 61b for storing different sizes of medium S are shown as medium supply containers 61, the present invention is not limited to this and three or more medium supply containers may be provided, or just one medium supply container may be provided. Also, a manual feeder (not shown) may be provided to guide medium S to transport path 65.

[0029] The first fixing device 50 of this embodiment is configured as follows, for example: The first fixing device 50 includes a heat fixing roll 51 having an internal heat source (not shown), such as a halogen lamp, and a pressure fixing roll 52 that is disposed opposite the heat fixing roll 51 and that sandwiches and transports the medium S in a fixing zone formed between the heat fixing roll 51 and the pressure fixing roll 52. Therefore, when the medium S carrying the unfixed toner image passes through the fixing area of ​​the first fixing device 50, the unfixed toner image on the medium S is fixed onto the medium S by heat and pressure. In this example, the first fixing device 50 is a pair of rolls configured for heating and pressurizing, but this is not limited to this. A pressure pad is placed opposite the heating and fixing roll 51, a pressure belt that rolls with the heating and fixing roll 51 is interposed between the heating and fixing roll 51 and the pressure pad, and the medium S is sandwiched in the fixing area formed between the heating and fixing roll 51 and the pressure belt to heat, pressurize and fix the medium S. Alternatively, a suitable method may be selected.

[0030] -Example of post-processing device configuration- As shown in Figure 2, the post-processing device 70 of this embodiment includes a medium conveying device 71 that conveys the medium S along a conveying path, a second fixer 72 that is provided along the conveying path of the medium S and that makes the toner image surface of the medium S highly glossy, and a cutter 73 as a cutting means that cuts the medium S that has passed through the second fixer 72.

[0031] -Basic configuration of media transport device- In this example, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the medium conveying device 71 includes a first conveying path 81 that conveys the medium S along a first direction X, a second conveying path 82 that conveys the medium S along a second direction Y that is perpendicular to the first direction X and has an intersection area C that intersects with the first conveying path 81 on the same plane, and a turning mechanism 83 that is provided at least in the intersection area C and serves as a turning means for converting the medium S that has been conveyed into the intersection area C from the first direction X into the second direction Y and conveying it out. 3, a position correction mechanism 84 that corrects the posture of the medium S and the positions of both ends in a direction intersecting the transport direction is provided on the first transport path 81 downstream of the second fixing device 72 in the transport direction of the medium S. Furthermore, a second discharge receiver 85 is provided on the second transport path 82 at the downstream end in the transport direction of the medium S, and is configured to store the medium S that has passed through the cutter 73. The turning mechanism 83 and the position correcting mechanism 84 will be described in detail later.

[0032] -Example of second fixing unit configuration- In this example, the second fixing device 72 is provided on the first transport path 81. As shown in Figure 2, the second fixing device 72 comprises a heating fixing roll 91 as a heating fixing means, a transporting fixing belt 92 as a transporting fixing means that is stretched over the heating fixing roll 91 and is rotatable, has a highly smooth surface, and transports the medium S in contact with the image surface of the medium S, a pressure fixing roll 93 as a pressure fixing means that is arranged opposite the heating fixing roll 91 across the transporting fixing belt 92 and applies pressure to form a fixing area between the heating fixing roll 91, and a cooler 94 as a cooling means that is arranged downstream of the fixing area of ​​the transporting fixing belt 92 in the transporting direction of the medium S and in contact with the back surface of the medium transport area of ​​the transporting fixing belt 92, and cools the transporting fixing belt 92. In this example, the cooler 94 is, for example, a heat sink, but is not limited to this. In this example, the heat fixing roll 91 presses the medium S, on which the toner image has been fixed by the first fixing device 50, against the conveying and fixing belt 92 using the pressure fixing roll 93. This causes the toner image to be embedded in the image receiving layer of the medium S by the heat and pressure from the heat fixing roll 91, and also transfers the smoothness of the surface of the conveying and fixing belt 92 to the image surface of the medium S, resulting in a highly glossy image surface. Thereafter, the medium S, which is conveyed in a state of intimate contact with the conveying and fixing belt 92, is forcibly cooled by a cooler 94, and is then separated from the conveying and fixing belt 92 and sent toward the cutter 73 located downstream.

[0033] -Example of cutting device configuration- In this example, as shown in Figures 3 to 5, the cutter 73 is provided with a first cutter unit 101 as a first cutting means that is provided in an area of ​​the first conveying path 81 other than the intersection area C and cuts both ends of the medium S in a direction intersecting the first direction X, and a second cutter unit 102 as a second cutting means that is provided in an area of ​​the second conveying path 82 other than the intersection area C and cuts both ends of the medium S in a direction intersecting the second direction Y. <First cutter unit> As shown in Figures 6(a) to (d), the first cutter unit 101 has a pair of upper and lower cutter rotation shafts 103 (specifically 103U and 103D), a pair of upper and lower roll members 104 (specifically 104U and 104D) arranged symmetrically on both sides of the axial center of the pair of upper and lower cutter rotation shafts 103, and a pair of upper and lower circular blade cutters 105 (specifically 105U and 105D) arranged symmetrically axially outward of each roll member 104 of the pair of upper and lower cutter rotation shafts 103.

[0034] In this example, the lower cutter rotation shaft 103D is rotatably installed via a bearing (not shown) at a predetermined position on a side frame (not shown). On the other hand, the upper cutter rotation shaft 103U is rotatably supported via a bearing 108 in an elongated hole 107 extending in the vertical direction of the side frame 106 and slidably along the vertical direction. Inter-shaft biasing springs 109 are provided near both axial ends of the upper cutter rotation shaft 103U to bias the upper cutter rotation shaft 103U toward the lower cutter rotation shaft 103D. Therefore, the upper roll member 104U is arranged in contact with the lower roll member 104D with a predetermined pressing force. The pair of roll members 104 are formed of, for example, an elastic material with a high coefficient of friction (for example, chloroprene rubber, urethane rubber, etc.). Furthermore, in this example, a driving force from a driving motor 110 is transmitted to one axial end of the lower cutter rotation shaft 103D via a driving transmission mechanism 111 such as a driving transmission gear.

[0035] In this example, the circular blade cutters 105 provided on both sides of the cutter rotation shaft 103 are arranged to correspond to cutting positions on both side edge portions of the medium S in a direction intersecting the first direction X. The upper circular blade cutter 105U and the lower circular blade cutter 105D are positioned axially such that the upper circular blade cutter 105U is located outside the lower circular blade cutter 105D. The radial positional relationship between the upper circular blade cutter 105U and the lower circular blade cutter 105D is set so that the cutting edges of both cutters overlap by a predetermined amount in the radial direction. A cutting edge biasing spring 112 is wound around the upper cutter rotation shaft 103U on the outer side of the upper circular blade cutter 105U, and presses the cutting edge of the upper circular blade cutter 105U against the cutting edge of the lower circular blade cutter 105D. 6(d), the movement amount D of the upper cutter rotation shaft 103U in the direction away from the lower cutter rotation shaft 103D is limited to an allowable range by the elongated hole 107 of the side frame 106. In this example, the movement amount D of the upper cutter rotation shaft 103U in the direction away from the lower cutter rotation shaft 103D is set to an amount less than the amount of overlap between the upper circular blade cutter 105U and the lower circular blade cutter 105D. As a result, even if the upper cutter rotation shaft 103U moves the maximum amount within its movable range, the upper circular blade cutter 105U will not reach the outer circumferential side of the overlap position with the lower circular blade cutter 105D, and it is possible to prevent the upper circular blade cutter 105U from moving over the lower circular blade cutter 105D and moving inward in the axial direction of the upper cutter rotation shaft 103U. A chip guide member 113 is provided outside the lower circular blade cutter 105D to separate and guide chips Sc formed from the edge portions of the medium S cut by the circular blade cutter 105D.

[0036] <Second cutter unit> The second cutter unit 102 is configured in substantially the same manner as the first cutter unit 101. However, the circular blade cutters 105 provided on both sides of the cutter rotation shaft 103 are arranged to correspond to the cutting positions of both side edge portions of the medium S in a direction intersecting the second direction Y. <Cutting device operation> In the first cutter unit 101 and the second cutter unit 102, the upper roll member 104U of the upper cutter rotating shaft 103U and the lower roll member 104D of the lower cutter rotating shaft 103D clamp the medium S with a predetermined pressure, and the clamped medium S is transported by the rotation of the lower cutter rotating shaft 103D driven by a drive motor 110, and the edge portion of the medium S is cut by a round blade cutter 105 provided on the cutter rotating shaft 103. The chips Sc consisting of the cut edge portions of the medium S are separated by the chip guide member 113 and are guided, for example, by a chip transport belt (not shown) and transported to a chip container (not shown).

[0037] -Position correction mechanism- In this example, the position correction mechanism 84 is composed of a table 120 as a support member that supports the medium S, a skew roll 121 as a correction operating member, and a correction guide plate 122 provided on one side of the intersecting direction that intersects with the conveying direction of the medium S. In this example, the table 120 is constructed by covering the surface of a plate material made of a steel plate or the like with a sliding sheet (not shown). The sliding sheet is made of, for example, polyimide resin with carbon black dispersed therein, and is electrically conductive, has a smooth surface, and a low coefficient of friction.

[0038] The skew roll 121 includes a roll member formed of an elastically deformable material around a rotation axis, and the roll member is arranged in contact with the table 120 with a predetermined surface pressure. Here, the axis of the skew roll 121 is parallel to the support surface of the table 120 and is set at a predetermined angle (for example, 15 to 20 degrees) with respect to a line perpendicular to the first direction X of the first conveying path 81 so as to move the medium S toward a correction guide plate 122 provided on one side of the table 120. The skew roll 121 is connected to a drive source such as a motor via a universal joint. Furthermore, the correction guide plate 122 is provided on one side of the first conveying path 81. Its position is set a predetermined distance outside the side edge of the medium S sent out from the second fixing device 72. Then, with one side edge of the medium S aligned with the correction guide plate 122, the positions of both ends in the width direction, which intersects with the attitude of the medium S and the conveying direction, are corrected. In other words, the central axis of the medium S in the width direction is aligned with the cutting central axis of the first cutter unit 101 of the cutter 73.

[0039] The position correction mechanism 84 configured in this manner supports the medium S discharged from the second fixer 72 on the support surface of the table 120, and the skew roll 121 sandwiches the medium S between the table 120 and moves it diagonally toward the correction guide plate 122. One side edge of the medium S is aligned with the correction guide plate 122, correcting the posture of the medium S and the positions of both ends in the transverse direction intersecting the conveyance direction. In other words, the skew roll 121 moves the medium S on the support surface of the table 120, and sets the posture of the medium S and the positions of both ends in the transverse direction intersecting the conveyance direction to match the cutting position of the first cutter unit 101 of the cutter 73. Note that the sliding sheet that forms the support surface of the table 120 is conductive, so static electricity charged on the medium S can be released, and there is no concern that the medium S will be electrostatically attracted to the support surface of the table 120 and hindered from moving.

[0040] -Direction mechanism- In this example, as shown in Figures 3 to 5, the turning mechanism 83 includes a retraction unit 131 that clamps and transports the medium S transported from the first direction X and draws it into the intersection area C, and a feed-out unit 132 that clamps and transports the medium S from the intersection area C to discharge the medium S drawn into the intersection area C toward the second direction Y, and is configured to selectively switch the operating states of the retraction unit 131 and the feed-out unit 132. The "operating state" here refers to either a standby state in which the position of the media clamping section is kept waiting at a predetermined position when the retraction unit 131 or the feed-out unit 132 clamps and transports the medium S, or a retracted state in which the components constituting the media clamping section are retracted to a position that does not obstruct the transport trajectory of the medium S when the retraction unit 131 or the feed-out unit 132 is not clamping and transporting the medium S.

[0041] -Retraction unit- In this example, as shown in Figures 7(a)(b) and 8, the pull-in unit 131 includes a front pull-in roll 141 (specifically 141U, 141D) as a rotatable upper and lower pair of pull-in rotors located at a location on the first conveying path 81 adjacent to the intersection area C, a rear pull-in roll 142 (specifically 142U, 142D) as a rotatable upper and lower pair of pull-in rotors located within the intersection area C downstream of the front pull-in roll 141 in the conveying direction of the medium S, and a first nip release mechanism 143 as a first contact / separation means for contacting and separating these pull-in rolls 141, 142 into a contact state (nip) or a non-contact state (release). In this example, two stages of pull-in rolls 141 and 142 are used, but it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to this.

[0042] <Pull-in roll> In this example, as shown in Figure 4, the front-stage pull-in roll 141 has a pair of upper and lower roll rotation shafts 144 (specifically, 144U and 144D) and a pair of roll members 145 (specifically, 145U and 145D) arranged symmetrically on both sides of the axial center of the roll rotation shaft 144. In this example, the roll member 145 is formed of, for example, an elastic material with a high coefficient of friction (for example, chloroprene rubber, urethane rubber, or the like). Furthermore, the rear pull-in roll 142 has substantially the same configuration (roll rotation shaft 144, roll member 145) as the front pull-in roll 141. However, in this example, the length of the roll rotation shaft 144 of the rear pull-in roll 142 is set shorter than the length of the roll rotation shaft 144 of the front pull-in roll 141. Furthermore, the distance in the axial direction between the roll members 145 of the rear pull-in roll 142 is set narrower than the distance in the axial direction between the roll members 145 of the front pull-in roll 141. The reason why the rear pull-in roll 142 is made smaller in size than the front pull-in roll 141 in this way is because it is necessary to ensure installation space for some of the elements of the payout unit 132 within the intersection region C. Furthermore, in this example, as shown in Figure 10, a drive mechanism 146 consisting of a motor and a drive transmission mechanism is connected to the lower roll rotation shaft 144D of the front pull-in roll 141 and the rear pull-in roll 142, and the front pull-in roll 141 and the rear pull-in roll 142 are rotated and driven using the lower roll rotation shaft 144D as the drive shaft.

[0043] 7(a) and 7(b), a plate-shaped guide chute 86 is provided as a guide member for guiding the back surface of the medium S in the intersection area C and in the first transport path 81 and the second transport path 82 adjacent to the intersection area C. For this reason, the surface of the guide chute 86 acts as a medium guide reference surface G0 (a reference surface that the back surface of the medium S contacts and is guided by), and the guide chute 86 has an opening 87 through which the lower element 141D of the leading pull-in roll 141 and the lower element 142D of the trailing pull-in roll 142 appear and disappear, with the medium guide reference surface G0 as the boundary.

[0044] 7A, the retraction unit 131 has an initial position (standby position A1) where the leading retraction roll 141 and the trailing retraction roll 142 are in contact (nip) with each other. The retraction unit 131 brings the leading and trailing retraction rolls 141, 142 into contact with each other at the standby position A1, which is located above the medium guide reference plane G0, and retracts the leading and trailing retraction rolls 141, 142 to a retraction position A2, which is located vertically away from the standby position A1. The retraction position A2 may be selected as appropriate above or below the standby position A1 as long as it does not obstruct the transport trajectory of the medium S. However, the retraction position A2, which is located at a lower position, must be located at least until the lower elements 141D, 142D of the leading and trailing retraction rolls 141, 142 are below the medium guide reference plane G0.

[0045] -First nip release mechanism- In this example, the first nip release mechanism 143 is equipped with a pair of position change mechanisms 150 (specifically, 150U, 150D) that move the pair of front pull-in roll 141 and rear pull-in roll 142 up and down separately, as shown in Figures 7 to 9. That is, the upper position changing mechanism 150U located on the upper side moves the upper element 141U of the front pull-in roll 141 and the upper element 142U of the rear pull-in roll 142 so that they can move up and down. On the other hand, the lower position changing mechanism 150D located on the lower side moves the lower element 141D of the front pull-in roll 141 and the lower element 142D of the rear pull-in roll 142 so that they can move up and down.

[0046] <Upper position change mechanism> In this example, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, the upper position change mechanism 150U includes an eccentric cam 151 that rotates by a drive motor not shown, a link mechanism 152 that changes shape as the eccentric cam 151 rotates, a swing arm 153 as a swing member that swings as the link mechanism 152 changes shape and moves both end bearings 147 of the roll rotation shaft 144 of the upper elements 141U, 142U of the front and rear pull-in rolls 141, 142 up and down from below, and a pressing spring 154 as a pressing member that presses both end bearings 147 of the roll rotation shaft 144 of the upper elements 141U, 142U mentioned above against the swing arm 153 from above.

[0047] In such an upper position change mechanism 150U, the eccentric cam 151 has a cam surface 151a that changes smoothly from the small diameter portion RS to the large diameter portion RL. The link mechanism 152 also includes a rod-shaped horizontal link arm 152a extending approximately horizontally above the front and rear pull-in rolls 141, 142 so as to straddle them, vertical link arms 152b, 152c rotatably connected to both ends of the horizontal link arm 152a by pins 152d and extending approximately vertically downward, and an operating bar 152e fixed to approximately the center of the length of the horizontal link arm 152a, extending approximately vertically downward and contacting the cam surface 151a of the eccentric cam 151. Furthermore, the lower ends of the vertical link arms 152b and 152c of the link mechanism 152 are rotatably connected to a pin 152f at a predetermined position, and one end of a swing arm 153 is fixed to this pin 152f. The vertical link arms 152b and 152c and the swing arm 153 are arranged at a predetermined angle (approximately a right angle in this example). Furthermore, as shown in Figure 8(b), the bearings 147 at both ends of the roll rotation shaft 144 of the upper elements 141U, 142U of the front and rear pull-in rolls 141, 142 are slidably held along long holes 149 extending in the vertical direction formed in the support frame 148.

[0048] <Lower position change mechanism> In this example, the lower position changing mechanism 150D is disposed symmetrically with respect to the upper position changing mechanism 150U. In other words, the lower position change mechanism 150D comprises an eccentric cam 151 that is rotated by a drive motor not shown, a link mechanism 152 whose shape changes as the eccentric cam 151 rotates, a swing arm 153 as a swing member that swings as the shape of the link mechanism 152 changes and moves the bearings 147 at both ends of the roll rotation shaft 144 of the lower elements 141D, 142D of the front and rear pull-in rolls 141, 142 up and down from above, and a pressing spring 154 as a pressing member that presses the bearings 147 at both ends of the roll rotation shaft 144 of the lower elements 141D, 142D mentioned above toward the swing arm 153 from below.

[0049] In such lower position change mechanism 150D, eccentric cam 151 has cam surface 151a that changes smoothly from small diameter portion RS to large diameter portion RL. The drive motor may be the same as the drive motor of upper position change mechanism 150U, or a separate drive motor may be provided. The link mechanism 152 also includes a rod-shaped horizontal link arm 152a extending approximately horizontally below the front and rear pull-in rolls 141, 142 so as to straddle them, vertical link arms 152b, 152c rotatably connected to both ends of the horizontal link arm 152a by pins 152d and extending approximately vertically upward, and an operating bar 152e fixed to approximately the center of the length of the horizontal link arm 152a, extending approximately vertically upward and contacting the cam surface 151a of the eccentric cam 151. Furthermore, the upper ends of the vertical link arms 152b and 152c of the link mechanism 152 are rotatably connected to a pin 152f at predetermined positions, and one end of a swing arm 153 is fixed to this pin 152f. The positional relationship between the vertical link arms 152b and 152c and the swing arm 153 is the same as that of the upper position change mechanism 150U. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 8(b), for example, both end bearings 147 of the roll rotation shaft 144 of the lower elements 141D, 142D of the front and rear pull-in rolls 141, 142 are held slidably along elongated holes 149 extending in the vertical direction and formed in the support frame 148. In particular, in this example, the biasing force of the pressing spring 154 of the lower position change mechanism 150D is set stronger than the biasing force of the pressing spring 154 of the upper position change mechanism 150U, and the both end bearings 147 of the roll rotation shaft 144 of the lower elements 141D, 142D are positioned by being pressed against the upper edge positions of the elongated holes 149 by the pressing spring 154 at the standby position A1.

[0050] -Operation of the first nip release mechanism- Next, the operation of the first nip release mechanism 143 will be described. <Nip operation of the retraction unit> First, a case where the retraction unit 131 is set to the nip state (contact state) will be described. When the retraction unit 131 is set to the nip state, as shown in FIG. 8(a), the position change mechanism 150 (150U, 150D) is used to bring the front and rear retraction rolls 141, 142 into contact at the standby position A1 (see FIG. 7(a)). Specifically, the eccentric cam 151 of the position changing mechanism 150 (150U, 150D) may be rotated by a drive motor (not shown) so that the small diameter portion RS of the eccentric cam 151 comes into contact with the operating bar 152e.

[0051] In this case, due to the positional relationship between the eccentric cam 151 and the operating bar 152e, the link mechanism 152 maintains the vertical link arms 152b and 152c in a parallel position relative to the horizontal link arm 152a, tilted slightly to the right in the figure rather than perpendicular. Therefore, in this example, the swing arm 153 of the upper position change mechanism 150U is positioned so as to be inclined slightly downward and left from the horizontal position, and the swing arm 153 of the lower position change mechanism 150D is positioned so as to be inclined slightly upward and left from the horizontal position. In this state, the swing arms 153 of the position change mechanisms 150 (150U, 150D) are positioned so as not to contact the end bearings 147 of the roll rotation shafts 144 of the front and rear pull-in rolls 141 and 142. Therefore, the lower elements 141D, 142D of the front and rear pull-in rolls 141, 142 are pushed up and positioned by the biasing force of the pressure spring 154 until the double-end bearings 147 reach the upper edge positions of the elongated holes 149. At this time, the upper elements 141U, 142U of the front and rear pull-in rolls 141, 142 are pressed toward the lower elements 141D, 142D by the biasing force of the pressure spring 154. Therefore, the front and rear pull-in rolls 141, 142 come into contact with each other at the standby position A1 and wait there, as shown in FIG. 7(a).

[0052] <Release operation of retraction unit> Next, a case where the retraction unit 131 is set to the release state (non-contact state) will be described. When the retraction unit 131 is set to the release state, as shown in FIG. 9, the position change mechanism 150 (150U, 150D) is used to retract the front and rear retraction rolls 141, 142 from the standby position A1 to the retracted position A2 (see FIG. 7(b)). Specifically, the eccentric cam 151 of the position changing mechanism 150 (150U, 150D) may be rotated by a drive motor (not shown) so that the large diameter portion RL of the eccentric cam 151 comes into contact with the operating bar 152e.

[0053] In this case, due to the positional relationship between the eccentric cam 151 and the actuation bar 152e, the actuation bar 152e is pushed in the direction of the arrow, and the horizontal link arm 152a moves in the direction of the arrow. The link mechanism 152 then deforms while maintaining the vertical link arms 152b and 152c in a parallel position relative to the horizontal link arm 152a, tilted slightly to the left in the figure rather than perpendicular to the vertical position. Therefore, in this example, the vertical link arms 152b and 152c of the upper position change mechanism 150U tilt to the left from the vertical position, and the swing arm 153 of the upper position change mechanism 150U moves to a position tilted slightly upward and left from the horizontal position, with the pin 152f as the swing fulcrum. Similarly, the vertical link arms 152b and 152c of the lower position change mechanism 150D also tilt to the left from the vertical position, and the swing arm 153 of the lower position change mechanism 150D moves to a position tilted slightly downward and left from the horizontal position. In this state, the swing arm 153 of the upper position change mechanism 150U lifts the bearings 147 at both ends of the roll rotation shafts 144 of the front and rear pull-in rolls 141, 142 against the biasing force of the pressure spring 154. On the other hand, the swing arm 153 of the lower position change mechanism 150D presses down the bearings 147 at both ends of the roll rotation shafts 144 of the front and rear pull-in rolls 141, 142 against the biasing force of the pressure spring 154. Therefore, the upper elements 141U, 142U of the front and rear pull-in rolls 141, 142 move upward from the standby position A1 to the retracted position A2, and the lower elements 141D, 142D move downward from the standby position A1 to the retracted position A2. Therefore, the leading and trailing pull-in rolls 141, 142 are retracted to the retracted position A2 as shown in FIG. 7(b).

[0054] -Feeding unit- In this example, as shown in Figures 7(a)(b) and 8(a)(b), the payout unit 132 comprises a front payout roll 161 (specifically, 161U and 161D) as a rotatable upper and lower pair of payout rotors arranged within the intersection area C, a rear payout roll 162 (specifically, 162U and 162D) as a rotatable upper and lower pair of payout rotors arranged downstream of the front payout roll 161 in the transport direction of the medium S and at a location on the second transport path 82 adjacent to the intersection area C, and a second nip release mechanism 163 (see Figure 10) as a second contact / separation means for bringing these payout rolls 161 and 162 into contact (nip) or non-contact (release) state. In this example, two stages of payout rolls 161 and 162 are used, but it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to this.

[0055] <Feeding roll> In this example, the front-stage payout roll 161, similar to the front-stage pull-in roll 141, has a pair of upper and lower roll rotation shafts 144 (specifically 144U, 144D) and a pair of roll members 145 (specifically 145U, 145D) arranged symmetrically on both sides of the axial center of the roll rotation shaft 144. Furthermore, the rear-stage payout roll 162 has substantially the same configuration (roll rotation shaft 144, roll member 145) as the front-stage payout roll 161. The length of the roll rotation shaft 144 and the layout of the roll member 145 of the front-stage and rear-stage payout rolls 161, 162 may be selected as appropriate, but in this example, substantially the same ones are used. Furthermore, in this example, as shown in Figures 4 and 10, a drive mechanism 166 consisting of a motor and a drive transmission mechanism is connected to the lower roll rotation shaft 144D of the front and rear payout rolls 161, 162, and the front and rear payout rolls 161, 162 are rotated and driven using the lower roll rotation shaft 144D as the drive shaft.

[0056] 8A, the initial position of the feeding unit 132 is a standby position B1 where the front and rear feed rolls 161 and 162 are in contact (at a nip). The feeding unit 132 brings the front and rear feed rolls 161 and 162 into contact with each other at the standby position B1, which is located above the medium guide reference plane G0, and retracts the front and rear feed rolls 161 and 162 to a retracted position B2 located vertically away from the standby position B1. The retracted position B2 may be selected as appropriate above or below the standby position B1 as long as it does not obstruct the transport trajectory of the medium S. However, the retracted position B2 located at a lower position must be located at least until the lower elements 161D and 162D of the front and rear feed rolls 161 and 162 are below the medium guide reference plane G0. In this example, the standby position B1 and the retracted position B2 may be set to the same positions as the standby position A1 and the retracted position A2 of the retracting unit 131, or may be set to different positions.

[0057] -Second nip release mechanism- In this example, the second nip release mechanism 163 is equipped with a pair of position change mechanisms 170 (specifically, 170U, 170D) that move the pair of front-stage payout roll 161 and rear-stage payout roll 162 up and down separately, as shown in Figures 7 to 9. That is, the upper position change mechanism 170U located on the upper side moves the upper element 161U of the front payout roll 161 and the upper element 162U of the rear payout roll 162 so that they can move up and down. On the other hand, the lower position change mechanism 170D located on the lower side moves the lower element 161D of the front payout roll 161 and the lower element 162D of the rear payout roll 162 so that they can move up and down.

[0058] <Position change mechanism> In this example, the upper position changing mechanism 170U has substantially the same components (eccentric cam 151, link mechanism 152, swing arm 153, and pressure spring 154) as the upper position changing mechanism 150U of the retraction unit 131, as shown in FIGS. In addition, the lower position change mechanism 170D is arranged symmetrically to the upper position change mechanism 170U, and is equipped with components (eccentric cam 151, link mechanism 152, swing arm 153, and pressure spring 154) that are approximately the same as those of the lower position change mechanism 150D of the retraction unit 131.

[0059] - Activation of the second nip release mechanism - Next, the operation of the second nip release mechanism 163 will be described. <Nipping operation of the feeding unit> First, a case where the feeding unit 132 is set to the nip state (contact state) will be described. When the payout unit 132 is set to a nip state, as shown in FIG. 8(a), the position change mechanism 170 (170U, 170D) is used to bring the front and rear payout rolls 161, 162 into contact at the standby position B1 (see FIG. 7(a)). Specifically, the eccentric cam 151 of the position changing mechanism 170 (170U, 170D) may be rotated by a drive motor (not shown) so that the small diameter portion RS of the eccentric cam 151 comes into contact with the operating bar 152e. At this time, the operation of the second nip release mechanism 163 is substantially the same as that of the first nip release mechanism 143.

[0060] <Feeding unit release operation> Next, a case where the feeding unit 132 is set to the release state (non-contact state) will be described. When setting the payout unit 132 to the release state, as shown in FIG. 9, the position change mechanism 170 (170U, 170D) is used to retract the front and rear payout rolls 161, 162 from the standby position B1 to the retracted position B2 (see FIG. 7(b)). Specifically, the eccentric cam 151 of the position changing mechanism 170 (170U, 170D) may be rotated by a drive motor (not shown) so that the large diameter portion RL of the eccentric cam 151 comes into contact with the operating bar 152e. At this time, the operation of the second nip release mechanism 163 is substantially the same as that of the first nip release mechanism 143.

[0061] -Cutting process control system- In this example, the cutting process control system has a control device 180 configured with a microcomputer including various processors, as shown in Fig. 10. The term "processor" here refers to a processor in a broad sense, and includes general-purpose processors (e.g., CPU: Central Processing Unit, etc.) and dedicated processors (e.g., GPU: Graphics Processing Unit, ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit, FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array, programmable logic device, etc.).

[0062] An operation panel 181 of the image forming system 20 is connected to this control device 180. This operation panel 181 is provided with a start switch (not shown) for starting the image forming process on the medium S, a mode switch for specifying an image forming mode such as single-sided printing, double-sided printing, high-resolution printing, or cutting processing printing, a medium type specifying section for specifying the medium type to be used, and the like. Furthermore, in the ROM serving as a storage device of the control device 180, programs relating to the image forming process and cutting process (see, for example, FIG. 11) are pre-installed. Furthermore, various detectors are connected to the control device 180, such as a position sensor 191 that detects that the medium S has reached the intersection area C, a position sensor 192 that detects that the medium S has been fed out from the intersection area C, and an environmental sensor 195 that detects the temperature and humidity inside the post-processing device 70. Furthermore, various control objects (first cutter unit 101, second cutter unit 102, first nip release mechanism 143, drive mechanism 146, second nip release mechanism 163, drive mechanism 166, etc.) are connected to the control device 180. The processor of the control device 180 receives instruction signals from an operation panel 181 and detection signals from various detectors, executes the above-mentioned program, and sends appropriate control signals to each controlled object.

[0063] -Basic operation of image formation system- Next, the basic operation of such an image forming system will be described. 2, the medium S fed from the medium supply container 61 is subjected to a simultaneous transfer by the secondary transfer device 43 of a multiple toner image formed on the intermediate transfer body 40 by multiplexing the color toner images formed by the image forming units 30 (30a to 30d). The transferred unfixed toner image is fixed by the first fixer 50, and then guided by the switching member 67 to the second discharge receiver 85 via the first discharge receiver 68 or the post-processing device 70.

[0064] In this embodiment, the switching member 67 switches the medium transport direction as follows: That is, in the plain paper print mode (low gloss print) in which a normal image is formed, after the image is fixed by the first fixer 50, the switching member 67 ejects the image to the first ejection receptacle 68. On the other hand, in the photograph print mode (high gloss print) in which a high gloss image such as a photograph is formed, after the image is fixed by the first fixer 50, the switching member 67 transports the image to the second fixer 72 side, where it is further fixed by the second fixer 72 and then ejected to the second ejection receptacle 85 via the cutter 73. In particular, the cutter 73 can be used when borderless prints such as photographs are preferred, and when cutting is not particularly required, the image can be ejected to the second ejection receptacle 85 without cutting.

[0065] -Media cutting process control- FIG. 11 shows a flowchart of the control of the medium cutting process. In the same figure, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, when the image creation mode is the photo print mode, the control device 180 determines that there is a medium S to be cut, and after fixing by the first fixing device 50, the control device 180 transports the medium S to the second fixing device 72 side of the post-processing device 70 using the switching member 67, and further fixing is performed by the second fixing device 72. After passing through the second fixing device 72, the position of the medium S and the positions of both ends in the cross direction that intersects the conveying direction are corrected by the position correction mechanism 84, and then the medium S is conveyed to the first cutter unit 101 of the cutter 73.

[0066] At this time, a first transport roll 88 is provided on the first transport path 81 as a first transport means. This first transport roll 88 has a configuration in which a pair of roll members are arranged in contact to form a medium clamping section, and the medium clamping section is arranged in a standby state at a predetermined position (similar to standby position A1 in this example) above a medium guide reference plane G0, which is the surface of the guide chute 86. Furthermore, the first cutter unit 101 has a medium clamping section made up of a pair of roll members 104 and a medium cutting section made up of a pair of circular blade cutters 105, and the medium clamping section and the medium cutting section are arranged in a standby state at predetermined positions (similar to standby position A1, for example) above a medium guide reference plane G0, which is the surface of the guide chute 86. Therefore, in the first conveying path 81, the medium S is conveyed without being pressed against the surface of the guide chute 86, and the first cutter unit 101 cuts both side edges of the medium S in a direction intersecting the first direction X.

[0067] When the cutting process is performed by the first cutter unit 101, the control device 180 checks whether the retraction unit 131 is waiting at the nip position (corresponding to standby position A1) as shown in Fig. 12(a), and causes the first nip release mechanism 143 to make the retraction unit 131 wait at the nip position if it is not at the nip position. Accordingly, the control device 180 checks whether the feeding unit 132 is retracted to the release position (corresponding to retracted position B2) as shown in Figs. 13(a) and 13(b), and causes the second nip release mechanism 163 to retract the feeding unit 132 to the release position if it is not at the release position. While the feeding unit 132 is at the release position, its drive is stopped. 12(b), the control device 180 sends a control signal to the drive mechanism 146 to start driving the retraction unit 131. That is, the drive of the front and rear retraction rolls 141, 142 located at the nip position (standby position A1) is started, and the medium S that has passed through the first cutter unit 101 is retracted into the intersection area C. In this example, the leading and trailing pull-in rolls 141, 142 wait at the same nip position (standby position A1) and pull in the medium S, so that the medium S can be transported stably along a single transport trajectory.

[0068] Then, as shown in FIG. 3, when the leading edge of the medium S drawn into the intersection area C (corresponding to the downstream end of the medium S in the transport direction) passes the position sensor 191, the control device 180 counts a timer and determines whether the medium S has been completely drawn into the intersection area C, taking into account the size and transport speed of the medium S. At this time, when the control device 180 determines that the medium S has been completely drawn into the intersection area C, it stops driving the drawing unit 131, as shown in FIG. 12(c). That is, it stops driving the leading and trailing draw-in rolls 141 and 142, which are in the nip position (standby position A1). Thereafter, the control device 180 causes the first nip release mechanism 143 to retract the leading and trailing draw-in rolls 141 and 142 to the release position (retracted position A2).

[0069] 13(c) and 13(d), when the retraction unit 131 stops driving and retreats to the release position (retreat position A2), the control device 180 causes the second nip release mechanism 163 to make the feed unit 132 wait at the nip position (corresponding to standby position B1), and then sends a control signal to the drive mechanism 166 to start driving the feed unit 132. In other words, the control device 180 starts driving the front and rear feed rolls 161, 162, and pays out the medium S from within the intersection area C in the second direction Y. In this example, the front and rear delivery rolls 161, 162 wait at the same nip position (standby position B1) and deliver the medium S, so that the medium S can be stably delivered along a delivery trajectory on the same plane. Thereafter, the control device 180 performs a cutting process on the medium S fed out from the intersection area C by the second cutter unit 102.

[0070] At this time, the second cutter unit 102 has a media clamping section made up of a pair of roll members 104 and a media cutting section made up of a pair of circular blade cutters 105, and the media clamping section and the media cutting section are arranged in a standby state at a predetermined position (for example, similar to the standby position B1) above the media guide reference plane G0, which is the surface of the guide chute 86. Therefore, in the second conveying path 82, the medium S is conveyed without being pressed against the surface of the guide chute 86, and the second cutter unit 102 cuts both side edges in a direction intersecting the second direction Y. Then, when the rear end of the medium S (corresponding to the upstream end of the medium S in the transport direction) passes the position sensor 192, the control device 180 determines that the medium S has been completely unwound from within the intersection area C and stops driving the unwind unit 132. After the cutting process by the second cutter unit 102 is completed, the medium S is discharged to the second discharge receiver 85 and stored therein.

[0071] Thus, in the medium conveying device 71 provided in the post-processing device 70, the medium S is conveyed from the first conveying path 81 to the second conveying path 82 after being changed direction at a substantially right angle by the turning mechanism 83 in the intersection area C. During the conveying process of the medium S, the medium S is not conveyed while being pressed against the opening 87 of the guide chute 86, so the occurrence of wrinkles or dents in the medium S is effectively avoided. This prevents damage such as wrinkles or dents from occurring in the medium S, such as photo prints, that have been cut by the cutter 73 (first cutter unit 101, second cutter unit 102).

[0072] ◎Transformation form 1 In the medium conveying device 71 according to the present embodiment, the retraction unit 131 and the payout unit 132 are provided across the intersection area C and the first conveying path 81 or the second conveying path 82 adjacent to the intersection area C. The retraction rolls 141, 142 in front and rear of the retraction unit 131 and the payout rolls 161, 162 in front and rear of the payout unit 132 are both configured to be moved up and down. However, the configuration of the retracting unit 131 and the feeding unit 132 is not limited to this, and may be configured as shown in, for example, FIGS. 14(a) and 14(b). In other words, as shown in Figure 14(a), for the retraction unit 131, only the rear retraction roll 142 located within the intersection area C is configured to be movable up and down by a first nip release mechanism 143 (a configuration in which the element corresponding to the front retraction roll 141 is omitted), and for the front retraction roll 141, the media clamping portion may be fixedly positioned above the media guide reference plane G0, similar to the first conveying roll 88. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 14(b), for the pay-out unit 132, only the front pay-out roll 161 located within the intersection area C can be configured to be movable up and down using a second nip release mechanism 163 (a configuration in which the elements corresponding to the rear pay-out roll 162 are omitted), and for the rear pay-out roll 162, the media clamping portion can be fixedly positioned above the media guide reference surface G0.

[0073] ◎Transformation form 2 Furthermore, in the medium conveying device 71 according to this embodiment, the retraction unit 131 and the payout unit 132 are configured such that one retraction roll 142 and one payout roll 161 are arranged within the intersection area C, but when a large-sized medium S, such as a JIS standard A4 size, is to be changed in direction in the intersection area C, it may be configured as shown in FIG. 15. That is, in order to change the direction of a large-sized medium S in the intersection region C, it is first necessary to ensure that the intersection region C is wide. Then, in order to stably draw a large-sized medium S into the intersection region C, it is preferable to arrange front and rear pull-in rolls 141, 142 at an appropriate interval within the intersection region C and move these pull-in rolls 141, 142 up and down using a first nip release mechanism 143. Also, in order to stably pay out a large-sized medium S from the intersection region C, it is preferable to arrange front and rear pay-out rolls 161, 162 at an appropriate interval within the intersection region C and move these pay-out rolls 161, 162 up and down using a second nip release mechanism 163. In this example, a configuration is disclosed in which the retraction unit 131 and the payout unit 132 are disposed within the intersection area C, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a retraction roll or a payout roll may be additionally disposed on the first conveying path 81 or the second conveying path 82 adjacent to the intersection area C. In this case, the first nip release mechanism 143 and the second nip release mechanism 163 may be used to move the additional retraction roll and payout roll up and down, or the additional retraction roll or payout roll may be fixedly installed at the standby position A1 or B1 without being moved up and down.

[0074] Embodiment 2 FIG. 16 is an explanatory plan view showing the main part of the post-processing device according to the second embodiment. -Basic configuration of post-treatment device- In the same figure, the post-processing device 70, as in embodiment 1, is equipped with a medium conveying device 71 that conveys the medium S along a conveying path, a second fixer 72 (see Figure 2) that is provided midway along the conveying path of the medium S and that makes the toner image surface of the medium S highly glossy, and a cutter 73 as a cutting means that cuts the medium S that has passed through the second fixer 72. In this example, the medium conveying device 71 and the second fixing device 72 are configured in substantially the same manner as in the first embodiment, but the cutter 73 has a different configuration from that in the first embodiment. Note that the same components as in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0075] -Basic configuration of the cutting machine- In this example, the cutter 73, similar to embodiment 1, is equipped with a first cutter unit 101 that cuts both side edges of the medium S in a direction intersecting the first direction X, and a second cutter unit 102 that cuts both side edges of the medium S in a direction intersecting the second direction Y. Here, unlike the first embodiment, the first cutter unit 101 is configured as movable dividing units 201 (specifically, 201L and 201R) divided into left and right halves in an intersecting direction intersecting the transport direction (first direction X in this example) of the medium S. Also, unlike the first embodiment, the second cutter unit 102 is configured as movable dividing units 202 (specifically, 202L and 202R) divided symmetrically into left and right halves across the transport direction center line of the medium S in an intersecting direction intersecting the transport direction (second direction Y in this example). In addition, the movable dividing units 201L and 202L refer to the units located on the left side of the first cutter unit 101 and the second cutter unit 102 when viewed from the downstream side in the transport direction of the medium S, and the movable dividing units 201R and 202R refer to the units located on the right side of the first cutter unit 101 and the second cutter unit 102 when viewed from the downstream side in the transport direction of the medium S.

[0076] -The need for cutter spacing adjustment- Generally, the size of the medium S changes depending on environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity, so if the axial spacing between the pair of circular blade cutters 205 of the first cutter unit 101 and the second cutter unit 102 of the cutter 73 is set to a constant value, there is a concern that the finished state of the medium S cut by the cutter 73 may vary (such as part of the image being missing, or a borderless print becoming bordered, etc.). Therefore, in this example, movable split units 201, 202 split into left and right halves are used as the first cutter unit 101 and the second cutter unit 102, making it possible to appropriately change the axial distance between the pair of circular blade cutters 205.

[0077] -Example of the first cutter unit configuration- In this example, as shown in Figure 17(a), the movable dividing unit 201 (201L, 201R) comprises a pair of upper and lower cutter rotating shafts 203 (specifically 203U, 203D), a pair of upper and lower roll members 204 (specifically 204U, 204D) which are provided on the center line side of the pair of upper and lower cutter rotating shafts 203 in the transport direction of the medium S, a pair of upper and lower circular blade cutters 205 (specifically 205U, 205D) which are provided symmetrically axially outward of each of the roll members 204 of the pair of upper and lower cutter rotating shafts 203, and a holding bracket 206 which rotatably supports both ends of the pair of upper and lower cutter rotating shafts 203 via bearings not shown and holds the pair of upper and lower roll members 204 and the pair of upper and lower circular blade cutters 205. A slit 207 for the medium S to pass through is formed in a side wall 206s of the holding bracket 206 located on the center line side of the medium S in the transport direction.

[0078] In this example, the lower cutter rotation shaft 203D is rotatably installed via a bearing (not shown) at a predetermined position on the side wall 206s of the holding bracket 206. On the other hand, the upper cutter rotation shaft 203U is supported rotatably via a bearing (not shown) in a long hole (not shown) extending in the vertical direction of the side wall 206s of the holding bracket 206 and slidably along the vertical direction. Inter-shaft biasing springs 209 that bias the upper cutter rotation shaft 203U toward the lower cutter rotation shaft 203D are provided near both axial ends of the upper cutter rotation shaft 203U. Therefore, the upper roll member 204U is arranged in contact with the lower roll member 204D with a predetermined pressing force. The pair of roll members 204 are formed of, for example, an elastic material with a high coefficient of friction (for example, chloroprene rubber, urethane rubber, etc.).

[0079] Furthermore, a pair of upper and lower circular blade cutters 205 (205U, 205D) are disposed corresponding to cutting positions on both side edges of the medium S in a direction intersecting the first direction X, respectively. In this example, the upper circular blade cutter 205U and the lower circular blade cutter 205D are positioned in the axial direction such that the upper circular blade cutter 205U is positioned outside the lower circular blade cutter 205D (corresponding to the side away from the center line of the medium S in the conveying direction). Here, the radial positional relationship between the upper circular blade cutter 205U and the lower circular blade cutter 205D is set so that the cutting edges of both cutters overlap by a predetermined amount in the radial direction. A cutting edge biasing spring 212 is wound around the upper cutter rotation shaft 203U on the outer side of the upper circular blade cutter 205U, so as to press the cutting edge of the upper circular blade cutter 205U against the cutting edge of the lower circular blade cutter 205D. Furthermore, the amount of movement of the upper cutter rotation shaft 203U in a direction away from the lower cutter rotation shaft 203D is limited to an allowable range by a slot (not shown) in the side wall 206s of the support bracket 206. In this example, the amount of movement of the upper cutter rotation shaft 203U in a direction away from the lower cutter rotation shaft 203D is set to an amount less than the amount of overlap between the upper circular blade cutter 205U and the lower circular blade cutter 205D. This prevents the upper circular blade cutter 205U from moving over the lower circular blade cutter 205D and moving inward in the axial direction of the upper cutter rotation shaft 203U, even if the upper cutter rotation shaft 203U moves the maximum amount within its movable range. In FIG. 16, reference numeral 213 denotes a chip guide member that guides chips generated when the medium S is cut to a predetermined location.

[0080] In this example, the movable dividing unit 201 (201L, 201R) is provided with a first cutter interval adjustment mechanism 221 that adjusts the axial interval of the circular blade cutters 205, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17(a) and (b). In this example, the first cutter spacing adjustment mechanism 221 is configured such that guide rail members 223, 224 extending approximately parallel to the axial direction of the cutter rotation shaft 203 are disposed above and below the side wall 206s of the holding bracket 206 of the movable dividing unit 201 (201L, 201R), penetrating the same, and holds the movable dividing unit 201 (201L, 201R) so that it can slide freely along the upper and lower guide rail members 223, 224. In this example, the guide rail member 223 located on the upper side is provided so as to be non-rotatable relative to the side wall 206s of the holding bracket 206. On the other hand, the guide rail member 224 located on the lower side is made of a rod-shaped member with a substantially circular cross section that extends in the axial direction, and a key groove 225 is formed in part of the rod along the axial direction. In addition, pulleys 226 are fixed to both axial sides of the guide rail member 224 located on the lower side. The pulleys 226 have keys 227 that fit into the key grooves 225 in part of their inner peripheral parts. The cylindrical parts of the pulleys 226 are held rotatably relative to the side wall 206s of the holding bracket 206.

[0081] In addition, in the first cutter spacing adjustment mechanism 221 of this example, a moving mechanism 231 (specifically 231L, 231R) is provided at the bottom of the holding bracket 206 of each movable dividing unit 201 (201L, 201R) to move each movable dividing unit 201 individually along the guide rail members 223, 224. This moving mechanism 231 (231L, 231R) is fixed to the bottom of the holding bracket 206 of the movable split unit 201 (201L, 201R) and includes a plate-shaped rack 233 (233L, 233R) extending approximately parallel to the guide rail members 223, 224, a pinion 234 (234L, 234R) meshing with this rack 233, a drive gear 235 (235L, 235R) that rotates this pinion 234, and a drive motor 236 (236L, 236R) that rotates this drive gear 235. In this example, the moving mechanism 231 (231L, 231R) moves each movable split unit 201 (201L, 201R) individually, but it is also possible to move the movable split units 201 in an interlocked manner using, for example, one drive motor 236, one pinion 234, and two racks 233 (233L, 233R).

[0082] Furthermore, in this example, a drive mechanism 241 is provided that rotates and drives the paired roll members 204 and the circular blade cutter 205 of the movable dividing unit 201 (201L, 201R). In this example, the drive mechanism 241 has a drive transmission gear 245 that meshes with a drive gear 244 of a drive motor 243 coaxially fixed to one axial end of the guide rail member 224 located on the lower side. In addition, gear teeth 246 are formed along the circumferential direction of the pulley 226 except for the cylindrical portion. A drive transmission member (not shown), such as a drive transmission gear or a pulley having gear teeth, is fixed to the end of the lower cutter rotation shaft 203D, and a toothed belt 247 is stretched between the gear teeth 246 of the pulley 226 and the drive transmission member of the lower cutter rotation shaft 203D.

[0083] -Example of second cutter unit configuration- In this example, as shown in Figure 17(a), the movable dividing unit 202 (202L, 202R) has substantially the same components (cutter rotation shaft 203, roll member 204, circular blade cutter 205, retaining bracket 206, slit 207, inter-axis biasing spring 209, cutting edge biasing spring 212) as the movable dividing unit 201 (201L, 201R) of the first cutter unit 101. In this example, the circular blade cutters 205 are disposed corresponding to the cutting positions on both side edges of the medium S in a direction intersecting the second direction Y. In this example, the movable dividing unit 202 (202L, 202R) is provided with a second cutter interval adjustment mechanism 222 that adjusts the axial interval of the circular blade cutters 205, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17(a) and (b). Here, the second cutter gap adjustment mechanism 222 has substantially the same components as the first cutter gap adjustment mechanism 221 of the first cutter unit 101 (guide rail members 223, 224, key groove 225, pulley 226, key 227).

[0084] Furthermore, a movement mechanism 232 (specifically, 232L, 232R) for moving the movable division units 202 individually along the guide rail members 223, 224 is provided at the bottom of the holding bracket 206 of the movable division units 202 (202L, 202R). Here, the moving mechanism 232 includes substantially the same components as the moving mechanism 231 of the first cutter unit 101 (a rack 233, a pinion 234, a drive gear 235, and a drive motor 236). Also provided is a drive mechanism 242 that rotates and drives the paired roll members 204 and the circular blade cutter 205 of the movable dividing unit 202 (202L, 202R). Here, the drive mechanism 242 includes substantially the same components as the drive mechanism 241 of the first cutter unit 101 (a drive motor 243, a drive gear 244, a drive transmission gear 245, gear teeth 246, and a toothed belt 247).

[0085] -Cutting machine operation- In this example, the first cutter unit 101 and the second cutter unit 102 that constitute the cutter 73 operate as follows. In the cutter 73 of this example, the first cutter unit 101 and the second cutter unit 102 first perform a cutter interval adjustment process, and then perform a cutting process after the cutter interval adjustment is completed. Here, when performing the cutter spacing adjustment process, a program for the cutter spacing adjustment process (see Figure 18) is pre-installed in the ROM, which is the storage device of the control device 180 (see Figure 10), and the cutter spacing adjustment process is executed as one example of control of the cutter 73.

[0086] -Cutter spacing adjustment- In this example, the control device 180 (see FIG. 10) first calculates the amount of movement of the circular blade cutter 205 to the reference standby position based on instruction information for the medium S from the operation panel 181, in accordance with the medium type and size. Here, the "reference standby position" refers to a position corresponding to the cutting position selected based on the medium type and medium size when, for example, the humidity conditions that significantly affect the expansion and contraction of the medium S are in a reference environment (an environment that has little effect on the expansion and contraction of the medium S: for example, humidity 55%). It is preferable to store this type of "reference standby position" in advance in a search table so that it can be read out for each medium type and medium size. Thereafter, the control device 180 detects environmental information (temperature and humidity) using, for example, the environmental sensor 195 shown in Fig. 10. Then, the control device 180 determines whether the detected environmental information is different from the reference environmental information.

[0087] In this state, the control device 180 searches the search table 300 shown in FIG. 20 by comparing the detected environmental information with the reference environmental information, and calculates the adjustment amount m from the reference standby position used to adjust the spacing of the circular blade cutter 205. In this example, the search table 300 stores data such as the medium type (including size information), temperature conditions, humidity conditions, and the amount of adjustment m from the reference standby position, which data has been previously obtained through experiments or the like. For example, for medium A (e.g., postcard size), when the temperature conditions are higher than a predetermined threshold temperature, if the humidity conditions are the standard environment, the adjustment amount m is "0," if the humidity conditions are more humid than the standard environment, the adjustment amount m is "+(A1)," and if the humidity conditions are lower than the standard environment, the adjustment amount m is "-(A2)." Also, when the temperature conditions are lower than a predetermined threshold temperature, if the humidity conditions are the standard environment, the adjustment amount m is "0," if the humidity conditions are more humid than the standard environment, the adjustment amount m is "+(A3)," and if the humidity conditions are lower than the standard environment, the adjustment amount m is "-(A4)." Furthermore, for medium B (e.g., postcard size), when the temperature conditions are higher than a predetermined threshold temperature, if the humidity conditions are the standard environment, the adjustment amount m is "0", if the humidity conditions are more humid than the standard environment, the adjustment amount m is "+(B1)", and if the humidity conditions are lower than the standard environment, the adjustment amount m is "-(B2)". Furthermore, when the temperature conditions are lower than a predetermined threshold temperature, if the humidity conditions are the standard environment, the adjustment amount m is "0", if the humidity conditions are more humid than the standard environment, the adjustment amount m is "+(B3)", and if the humidity conditions are lower than the standard environment, the adjustment amount m is "-(B4)". It should be noted that (A1) to (A4) and (B1) to (B4) are parameters that change based on the difference from the reference environmental information.

[0088] In this state, if the detected environmental information is included in the reference environmental information, the control device 180 determines that the interval adjustment of the circular blade cutter 205 is unnecessary, and sets the adjustment amount m from the reference standby position to "0". Furthermore, when the detected environmental information is higher than the reference environmental information, the control device 180 calculates the difference from the reference environmental information by referring to the search table 300. After that, the control device 180 adjusts the adjustment amount m from the reference standby position to the positive side (corresponding to the direction in which the cutter interval is widened) according to the difference. Furthermore, when the detected environmental information is lower than the reference environmental information, the control device 180 calculates the difference from the reference environmental information by referring to the search table 300. After that, the control device 180 adjusts the adjustment amount m from the reference standby position to the negative side (corresponding to the direction of narrowing the cutter interval) according to the difference. When the adjustment amount m is determined in this manner, the control device 180 moves both circular blade cutters 205 from the standard standby positions to the adjusted standby positions.

[0089] <Example of cutter spacing adjustment> FIG. 19(a) shows a state in which the pair of circular blade cutters 205 of the movable dividing units 201 and 202 have been moved to the reference standby position. In the figure, the axial distance between the pair of circular blade cutters 205 is Lc0. At this time, the first cutter distance adjustment mechanism 221 and the second cutter distance adjustment mechanism 222 may be used to move the initial positions of the pair of circular blade cutters 205 to a predetermined reference standby position. Here, for example, when the movable dividing unit 201 (201L, 201R) of the first cutter unit 101 is set to the reference standby position, the drive motor 236 (236L, 236R) of the movement mechanism 231 of the first cutter spacing adjustment mechanism 221 is rotated by a predetermined amount, and the rack 233 (233L, 233R) is moved in accordance with the rotation of the pinion 234 (234L, 234R), and accordingly the movable dividing unit 201 is moved appropriately.

[0090] Also, when the medium S is in an environmental condition of expanding temperature and humidity, as shown in FIG. 19(b), for example, with respect to the movable dividing unit 201 (201L, 201R) of the first cutter unit 101, using the first cutter interval adjusting mechanism 221, the position of the round blade cutter 205 is moved outward by ΔLa from the initial position (reference standby position) shown in FIG. 19(a), and the axial interval Lc1 (>Lc0) of the round blade cutter 205 may be set. At this time, as shown in FIG. 17, the control device 180 sends a predetermined control signal to the drive motors 236 (236L, 236R) of the moving mechanism 231, and controls the rotation direction and rotation amount of the drive motors 236 (236L, 236R) to move the movable dividing unit 201 (201L, 201R) so as to widen the interval. In addition, for the second cutter unit 102, cutter interval adjustment may be performed in the same manner as the first cutter unit 101.

[0091] Furthermore, when the medium S is in an environmental condition of contracting temperature and humidity, as shown in FIG. 19(c), for example, with respect to the movable dividing unit 201 (201L, 201R) of the first cutter unit 101, using the first cutter interval adjusting mechanism 221, the position of the round blade cutter 205 is moved inward by ΔLb from the initial position (reference standby position) shown in FIG. 19(a), and the axial interval Lc2 (<Lc0) of the round blade cutter 205 may be set. At this time, as shown in FIG. 17, the control device 180 sends a predetermined control signal to the drive motor 236 of the moving mechanism 231, and controls the rotation direction and rotation amount of the drive motor 236 to move the movable dividing unit 201 (201L, 201R) so as to narrow the interval. In addition, for the second cutter unit 102, cutter interval adjustment may be performed in the same manner as the first cutter unit 101.

[0092] -Cutting process by the cutter- When driving the first cutter unit 101, it may be performed after the cutter interval adjustment of the movable dividing unit 201 (201L, 201R) is completed. 17, the control device 180 drives the drive motor 243 of the drive mechanism 241 by sending a predetermined control signal to the drive motor 243, thereby rotating the guide rail member 224 via the drive gear 244 and the drive transmission gear 245. Then, because the pulley 226 is fixed to the guide rail member 224 by key coupling (key groove 225, key 227), the rotational force of the guide rail member 224 is transmitted to the toothed belt 247 via the gear teeth 246 of the pulley 226. As a result, the lower cutter rotation shaft 203D of the movable dividing unit 201 rotates, and the pair of roll members 204 and the pair of circular blade cutters 205, which are in contact with each other, are driven to rotate. As a result, the medium S passing through the first cutter unit 101 is sandwiched and conveyed by the paired roll members 204 of each movable dividing unit 201 (201L, 201R), and the edges are cut by the paired round blade cutters 205. The second cutter unit 102 can be driven in substantially the same manner as the first cutter unit 101. [Example]

[0093] Example 1 This example embodies the adjustment of the gap between a pair of circular blade cutters 205 of the first cutter gap adjustment mechanism 221 and the second cutter gap adjustment mechanism 222 in the post-processing device according to embodiment 2, focusing on the type of media and humidity information as environmental information. In this example, the media types are plain paper (postcard size) and waterproof paper (postcard size). Regarding humidity information as environmental information, we adopted a method in which the adjustment amount +ΔLa for high humidity conditions (80%) and the adjustment amount -ΔLb for low humidity conditions (15%) were selected in advance, and the adjustment amount for each humidity condition was determined by the difference from the reference humidity (55%). ◇ Plain paper (postcard size) ·High humidity condition (80%): Adjustment amount +ΔLa=+0.10mm ·Low humidity condition (15%): Adjustment amount -ΔLb=-0.10mm ·Reference humidity (55%): Adjustment amount = 0 Humidity condition 75%:+ΔLa=+0.08mm Humidity condition 70%:+ΔLa=+0.06mm Humidity condition 65%:+ΔLa=+0.04mm Humidity condition 60%:+ΔLa=+0.02mm Humidity condition 45%:-ΔLb=-0.025mm Humidity condition 35%:-ΔLb=-0.05mm Humidity condition 25%:-ΔLb=-0.075mm ◇Water-resistant paper (postcard size) ·High humidity condition (80%): Adjustment amount +ΔLa=+0.05mm ·Low humidity condition (15%): Adjustment amount -ΔLb=-0.05mm ·Reference humidity (55%): Adjustment amount = 0 Humidity condition 75%:+ΔLa=+0.04mm Humidity condition 70%:+ΔLa=+0.03mm Humidity condition 65%:+ΔLa=+0.02mm Humidity condition 60%:+ΔLa=+0.01mm Humidity condition 45%:-ΔLb=-0.0375mm Humidity condition 35%:-ΔLb=-0.025mm Humidity condition 25%:-ΔLb=-0.0125mm When the cutter gap was adjusted using such an adjustment amount, it was confirmed that the cutting quality of the medium S was maintained at a good level even if the medium S expanded or contracted due to changes in environmental information.

[0094] (Addendum) (((1))) a first transport path that transports the medium along a first direction; a second transport path that transports the medium along a second direction that intersects with the first direction and has an intersecting region that intersects with the first transport path on the same plane; a deflection means provided at least in the intersection area for deflecting the medium conveyed into the intersection area from the first direction to the second direction and conveying the medium out; Equipped with The diverting means is a drawing means for gripping and conveying the medium conveyed from the first direction and drawing it into the intersection area; a feeding means for clamping, conveying, and feeding the medium drawn into the intersecting area from the intersecting area so as to convey the medium in the second direction; a state switching means that can switch between a standby state in which the medium clamping portion of the retracting means or the feeding means is set above a predetermined medium guide reference plane when the retracting means or the feeding means clamps and conveys the medium, and a retracted state in which the retracting means or the feeding means retracts so as not to obstruct the conveyance trajectory of the medium when the retracting means or the feeding means does not clamp and convey the medium, and that switches one of the retracting means or the feeding means to the standby state and the other to the retracted state; A medium transport device comprising: (((2))) In the medium conveying device described in (((1))), A media conveying device characterized in that the retraction means is composed of a pair of rotatable retraction rotors arranged above and below, and the payout means is composed of a pair of rotatable payout rotors arranged above and below, and the pair of retraction rotors or the pair of payout rotors are brought into contact with each other to function as the media clamping section. (((3))) In the medium conveying device described in (((2))), the state switching means supports the paired retractable rotors so that they can move up and down, and brings the paired retractable rotors into contact with each other at a standby position A1 located above the medium guide reference plane of the intersection area, and retracts the paired retractable rotors to a retracted position A2 where the paired retractable rotors are separated in the vertical direction from the standby position A1 until at least the upper end of the lower retractable rotor is below the medium guide reference plane; a second contact / separation means for supporting the paired feeding rotors so that they can move up and down, bringing the paired feeding rotors into contact with each other at a standby position B1 located above the medium guide reference surface of the intersection area, and retracting the paired feeding rotors to a retracted position B2 where the paired feeding rotors are separated in the vertical direction from the standby position B1 until at least an upper end of the lower feeding rotor is below the medium guide reference surface; a drive control means for, when the medium is carried into the intersection area from the first direction, disposing the paired pull-in rotor at the standby position A1 and driving it to rotate until the medium is drawn into the intersection area, and disposing the paired feed-out rotor at the retracted position B2 and stopping the driving thereof, and for discharging the medium drawn into the intersection area in the second direction, disposing the paired pull-in rotor at the retracted position A2 and stopping the driving thereof, and disposing the paired feed-out rotor at the standby position B1 and driving it to rotate; A medium transport device comprising: (((4))) In the medium conveying device described in (((3))), A medium conveying device characterized in that the first contact / separation means or the second contact / separation means has a paired position change mechanism that moves the paired retracting rotor or the paired feeding rotor up and down separately. (((5))) In the medium conveying device described in (((4))), A media transport device characterized in that the position change mechanism comprises a rotating eccentric cam and a link mechanism that moves the positions of both ends of the rotation axis of the retracting rotor or the feeding rotor up and down in conjunction with the rotation position of the eccentric cam. (((6))) In the medium transport device according to any one of (((3))) to (((5))), A medium conveying device characterized in that the retraction means or the feed-out means is a pair of retraction rotors or pair of feed-out rotors arranged in multiple stages in the first direction or the second direction. (((7))) In the medium transport device described in (((6))), A medium conveying device characterized in that the first contact / separation means or the second contact / separation means has a paired position change mechanism that moves the paired retracting rotors or the paired feeding rotors arranged in multiple stages up and down separately in common for multiple stages. (((8))) In the medium transport device according to any one of (((3))) to (((5))), a first position detection means for detecting that the operation of drawing the medium into the intersection area has been completed, and a second position detection means for detecting that the operation of feeding the medium from the intersection area has been completed; The medium transport device is characterized in that the drive control means controls the first contact / separation means and the second contact / separation means based on detection signals from the first position detection means and the second position detection means. (((9))) In the medium transport device described in (((8))), a first position detecting means for detecting a position of the first conveyance path in the second conveyance path; a second position detecting means for detecting a position of the second conveyance path in the second conveyance path; (((10))) In the medium transport device according to any one of (((2))) to (((9))), A media transport device characterized in that the intersection area has a guide member that guides the back surface of the medium, the surface of the guide member is the media guide reference surface, and the guide member has an opening through which the retracting rotor located below the paired retracting rotor or the payout rotor located below the paired payout rotor appears and disappears at the media guide reference surface. (((11))) a medium transport device according to any one of (((1))) to (((10))); a processing unit that performs a predetermined process on the medium on the first transport path or the second transport path; A media processing system comprising: (((12))) In the media processing system described in (((11))), the processing means has cutting means for cutting both ends of the medium in the first direction and the second direction, the cutting means is a first cutting means provided in an area of ​​the first conveying path other than the intersecting area, and configured to cut both ends of the medium in a direction intersecting the first direction; a second cutting means provided in an area of ​​the second transport path other than the intersection area and cutting both ends of the medium in a direction intersecting the second direction. (((13))) In the media processing system described in (((12))), A media processing system characterized in that the first cutting means or the second cutting means comprises a pair of conveying rolls arranged in an axially central region of a pair of rotating shafts, and a pair of circular blade cutters arranged near both axial ends of the rotating shafts, with their outer peripheries overlapping and meshing with each other to rotate. (((14))) In the media processing system described in (((13))), A media processing system characterized in that the first cutting means or the second cutting means is equipped with a cutting position adjustment means for adjusting the axial spacing between the pair of circular blade cutters provided on both axial sides of the rotating shaft.

[0095] According to the medium conveying device of (((1))), when the conveying direction of the medium is changed to an intersecting direction to convey the medium, the direction of the medium can be changed and conveyed without damaging the medium. According to the medium transport device of (((2))), the typical configuration of the retraction means and the delivery means can be constructed more easily than in a case where the paired rotating body system is not used. According to the media transport device of (((3))), a standby state in which media is transported and a retracted state in which media is not transported can be easily realized by using a pair of retracting rotors and a pair of feeding rotors. According to the medium conveying device of (((4))), the approaching and separating operation of the paired retracting rotors or the paired dispensing rotors can be easily achieved compared to a system in which the paired retracting rotors or the paired dispensing rotors are not moved up and down separately. According to the medium transport device of (((5))), it is possible to easily realize a position change mechanism, which is a representative aspect of the first contact / separation means or the second contact / separation means. According to the media conveying device of (((6))), it is possible to stably achieve direction-changing conveyance of large-sized media compared to an embodiment in which there is one pair of retracting rotors and one pair of delivering rotors. According to the medium conveying device of (((7))), in an aspect in which paired retracting rotors or paired advancing rotors are arranged in multiple stages, the first contact / separation means or the second contact / separation means can be constructed more simply than when the first contact / separation means or the second contact / separation means are constructed individually in multiple stages. According to the medium transport device of (((8))), the contacting and separating operations of the first contacting and separating means and the second contacting and separating means can be accurately realized. According to the medium conveying device of (((9))), it is possible to more accurately grasp the drawing of the medium into the intersection area and the feeding of the medium out of the intersection area compared to when the first position detection means and the second position detection means are installed in different locations. According to the medium transport device of (((10))), even if a factor that could damage the medium exists within the intersection area, it is possible to change the direction of transport of the medium without damaging the medium. According to the media processing system of (((11))), it is possible to construct a media processing system including a media transport device that enables the direction of media transport to be changed to an intersecting direction without damaging the media. According to the media processing system of (((12))), when the transport direction of the media is changed to an orthogonal direction to transport the media, the direction of the media can be changed and transported without damaging the media, and cutting processing of each side of the media can be performed smoothly. According to the media processing system of (((13))), a media processing system can be easily constructed by implementing a representative aspect of the first cutting means or the second cutting means. According to the medium processing system of (((14))), if the size of the medium changes, the direction of the medium can be changed and the medium can be conveyed without being damaged, and each side of the medium can be appropriately cut. [Explanation of symbols]

[0096] 1...first conveying path, 2...second conveying path, 3...diverting means, 4...retracting means, 5...feeding means, 6...state switching means, 6a...first contact / separation means, 6b...second contact / separation means, 6c...drive control means, 7 (7a, 7b)...retracting rotor, 8 (8a, 8b)...feeding rotor, 10...media processing system, 11...media conveying device, 12...processing means, 13...trimming means, 14...first cutting means, 15...second cutting means, 16...first conveying means, 17...second conveying means, A1, B1...standby position, A2, B2...retraction position, C...intersection area, G0...media guide reference plane, S...medium, X...first direction, Y...second direction

Claims

1. a first transport path that transports the medium along a first direction; a second transport path that transports the medium along a second direction that intersects with the first direction and has an intersecting region that intersects with the first transport path on the same plane; a deflecting means provided at least in the intersection area for deflecting the medium conveyed into the intersection area from the first direction to the second direction and conveying the medium out; Equipped with The diverting means is a drawing means for gripping and conveying the medium conveyed from the first direction and drawing it into the intersecting area; a feeding means for nipping, conveying, and feeding the medium drawn into the intersecting area from the intersecting area so as to convey the medium in the second direction; a state switching means that can switch between a standby state in which the medium clamping portion of the retracting means or the feeding means is set above a predetermined medium guide reference plane when the retracting means or the feeding means clamps and conveys the medium, and a retracted state in which the retracting means or the feeding means retracts so as not to obstruct the conveyance trajectory of the medium when the retracting means or the feeding means does not clamp and convey the medium, and that switches one of the retracting means or the feeding means to the standby state and the other to the retracted state; A medium transport device comprising:

2. 2. The medium transport device according to claim 1, A media conveying device characterized in that the retraction means is composed of a pair of rotatable retraction rotors arranged above and below, and the payout means is composed of a pair of rotatable payout rotors arranged above and below, and the pair of retraction rotors or the pair of payout rotors are brought into contact with each other to function as the media clamping section.

3. 3. The medium transport device according to claim 2, the state switching means supports the paired retractable rotors so that they can move up and down, and brings the paired retractable rotors into contact with each other at a standby position A1 located above the medium guide reference plane of the intersection area, and moves the paired retractable rotors away from the standby position A1 in the vertical direction to a retracted position A2 where the paired retractable rotors are separated until at least an upper end of the lower retractable rotor is below the medium guide reference plane; and a second contact / separation means for supporting the paired feeding rotors so that they can move up and down, bringing the paired feeding rotors into contact with each other at a standby position B1 located above the medium guide reference surface of the intersection area, and retracting the paired feeding rotors to a retracted position B2 where the paired feeding rotors are separated in the vertical direction from the standby position B1 until at least the upper end of the lower feeding rotor is below the medium guide reference surface; a drive control means for, when the medium is carried into the intersection area from the first direction, disposing the paired pull-in rotors at the standby position A1 and driving them to rotate until the medium is drawn into the intersection area, and disposing the paired feed-out rotors at the retracted position B2 and stopping the driving thereof, and, when the medium drawn into the intersection area is carried out in the second direction, disposing the paired pull-in rotors at the retracted position A2 and stopping the driving thereof, and disposing the paired feed-out rotors at the standby position B1 and driving them to rotate; A medium transport device comprising:

4. 4. The medium transport device according to claim 3, A medium transport device characterized in that the first contact / separation means or the second contact / separation means has a paired position change mechanism that moves the paired retracting rotor or the paired feeding rotor up and down separately.

5. 5. The medium transport device according to claim 4, A media transport device characterized in that the position change mechanism comprises a rotating eccentric cam and a link mechanism that moves the positions of both ends of the rotation axis of the retracting rotor or the feeding rotor up and down in conjunction with the rotation position of the eccentric cam.

6. 4. The medium transport device according to claim 3, A medium transport device characterized in that the retraction means or the payout means is a pair of retraction rotors or a pair of payout rotors arranged in multiple stages in the first direction or the second direction.

7. 7. The medium transport device according to claim 6, A medium conveying device characterized in that the first contact / separation means or the second contact / separation means has a paired position change mechanism that moves the paired retracting rotors or the paired dispensing rotors arranged in multiple stages up and down separately in a shared manner across multiple stages.

8. 4. The medium transport device according to claim 3, a first position detection means for detecting that the operation of drawing the medium into the intersection area has been completed, and a second position detection means for detecting that the operation of feeding the medium out of the intersection area has been completed, The medium transport device according to claim 1, wherein the drive control means controls the first contact / separation means and the second contact / separation means based on detection signals from the first position detection means and the second position detection means.

9. 9. The medium transport device according to claim 8, a first position detecting means for detecting a position of the second transport path and a second position detecting means for detecting a position of the second transport path;

10. 3. The medium transport device according to claim 2, A media transport device characterized in that the intersection area has a guide member that guides the back surface of the medium, the surface of the guide member is the media guide reference surface, and the guide member has an opening through which the retracting rotor located below the paired retracting rotor or the payout rotor located below the paired payout rotor appears and disappears at the media guide reference surface.

11. The medium transport device according to claim 1 ; a processing unit that performs a predetermined process on the medium on the first transport path or the second transport path; A media processing system comprising:

12. 12. The media processing system of claim 11, the processing means has cutting means for cutting both ends of the medium in the first direction and the second direction, the cutting means includes a first cutting means provided in an area of ​​the first transport path other than the intersecting area, and configured to cut both ends of the medium in a direction intersecting the first direction; a second cutting means provided in an area of ​​the second transport path other than the intersection area and cutting both ends of the medium in a direction intersecting the second direction.

13. 13. The media processing system of claim 12, A media processing system characterized in that the first cutting means or the second cutting means comprises a pair of conveying rolls arranged in an axially central region of a pair of rotating shafts, and a pair of circular blade cutters arranged near both axial ends of the rotating shaft, with their outer peripheries overlapping and meshing with each other to rotate.

14. 14. The media processing system of claim 13, A media processing system characterized in that the first cutting means or the second cutting means is provided with a cutting position adjustment means for adjusting the axial spacing between the pair of circular blade cutters provided on both axial sides of the rotating shaft.

Images