Cutting device, image forming system, and cutting position determining method

Abstract

To eliminate mis-alignment of a recording medium inside a laminate film relative to an outer shape of a cut laminate film.SOLUTION: A cutting device 4 includes a paper edge detection unit 42 that detects an outer contour of laminated paper, and a cutting position determination unit 43 that determines a cutting position by a cutting device 4 based on a position of the outer contour of paper detected by the paper edge detection unit 42.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cutting device, an image forming system, and a cutting position determining method. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, laminating devices have been used to coat sheets (paper) such as printed matter with a transparent resin (laminate) film. The laminating device transports a long laminate film having an adhesive layer that is continuously fed in the longitudinal direction, overlapping it with paper that is sequentially transported from the upstream side. The laminating device then continuously laminates the transported laminate film and paper.

[0003] In such a laminating device, if a sheet is fed out with even a slight deviation in posture, the sheet will be covered with a laminate film while remaining in a distorted posture.For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a laminating means having a feeding step in which a plurality of sheets held down by a guide member are fed out one by one onto a conveying table while maintaining the posture of the front end portion of the uppermost sheet with suction pads arranged in two or more rows. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7158640 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The technology described in Patent Document 1 aims to improve the accuracy of the subsequent cutting process by adjusting the orientation of the paper before lamination. However, even if the orientation of the paper is corrected before lamination, if the laminate film meanders during transport, the widthwise position of the paper relative to the laminate film after lamination will be misaligned. If the cutting device cuts the paper in this state, a wasteful (defective) product will be produced, with the paper biased in the width direction. This is because the cutting device normally performs cutting at a cutting position that corresponds to the width of the film, which is the outer shape of the paper to be cut.

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to eliminate deviation in the position of a recording medium inside a laminate film relative to the outer shape of the cut laminate film. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A cutting device according to one aspect of the present invention is a cutting device that cuts a recording medium laminated on both sides with a laminate film at a position outside a predetermined margin. The cutting device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a recording medium outer shape detection unit that detects the outer shape of the laminated recording medium, and a cutting position determination unit that determines the cutting position by the cutting device based on the position of the outer shape of the recording medium detected by the recording medium outer shape detection unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to eliminate deviation in the position of the recording medium inside the laminate film relative to the outer shape of the cut laminate film without providing a conveying device or the like. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of correspondence between the paper position and the cutting position when there is no misalignment in the conventional paper position. [Figure 2]10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of correspondence between the paper position and the cutting position when the paper position is shifted in the related art. [Figure 3] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of correspondence between a paper position and a cutting position when misalignment of a paper is corrected in the related art. [Figure 4] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of correspondence between a paper position and a cutting position when the size of a conventional paper sheet includes an error. [Figure 5] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of correspondence between the sheet position and the cutting position when the conventional laminate film meanders to the left in the conveying direction. [Figure 6] 6 is a diagram showing an example of correspondence between the paper position and the cutting position when cutting is performed along the initial cutting position shown in FIG. 5. FIG. [Figure 7] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a control system for an image forming apparatus, a laminating apparatus, a cutting apparatus, and a paper discharging apparatus that constitute an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating examples of parameters for determining a cutting position in a paper direction according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating examples of parameters for determining a cutting position in a paper transport direction according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure for a cutting position determination process according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure for detecting the outer shape of a sheet according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In this specification and the drawings, elements having substantially the same functions or configurations are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0011] First, before describing the embodiments of the present invention, the conventional problems that the present invention must solve will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG.

[0012] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the correspondence between the paper position and the cutting position when there is no misalignment in the paper position, and Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the correspondence between the paper position and the cutting position when there is a misalignment in the paper position. In Figs. 1 and 2, the cutting position is indicated by a solid dashed line. When the paper Sh is properly transported to the target position, as shown in Fig. 1, the distance W1 between the cutting position and the edge of the paper on the left side of the figure and the distance W2 between the cutting position and the edge of the paper on the right side will be equal.

[0013] On the other hand, if the sheet Sh meanders during transport, the distance W1 on the left side of the drawing and the distance W2 on the right side become uneven, as shown in Figure 2. In the example shown in Figure 2, the distance W2 on the right side is narrower than the distance W1 on the left side. If cutting is performed when the sheet Sh is in this position, the product after cutting will be wasteful (defective).

[0014] Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of the correspondence between the paper position and the cutting position when the misalignment of the paper Sh is corrected. In the example shown in Figure 3, the position of the paper Sh is adjusted so that the distance W1 on the left side of the figure and the distance W2 on the right side are equal. This adjustment prevents misalignment between the outline of the product after cutting, shown by the dotted frame, and the posture of the paper Sh.

[0015] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the correspondence between the paper position and the cutting position when the size of the paper Sh includes an error. Normally, the outer shape of the paper Sh includes an error of about 2 mm, and FIG. 4 shows an example when the outer shape of the paper Sh is larger than the specified size. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the position of the paper Sh is adjusted so that the distance W1 on the left side of the figure and the distance W2 on the right side are equal. Note that even when the outer shape of the paper Sh is larger than the specified size, the cutting position is set to the same position as when the paper Sh is the specified size. As a result, the sizes of the distances W1 and W2 are narrower than those shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, but the outer shape of the finished product is maintained constant.

[0016] FIG. 5 shows an example of the correspondence between the sheet position and the cutting position when the laminate film Fm meanders to the left in the conveying direction FD. In FIG. 5, the target position Pt where the laminate film Fm should be placed is indicated by a colored frame, and the actual position of the laminate film Fm is indicated by a plain rectangular frame. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the sheet Sh is placed in the intended position. In this way, there may be no deviation in the position of the sheet Sh, but the position of the laminate film Fm may be shifted. In this situation, if cutting is performed at the originally planned cutting position, a deviation will occur between the outline of the cut product and the posture of the sheet Sh. The originally planned cutting position is the cutting position when the laminate film Fm is assumed to be at the target position Pt.

[0017] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the correspondence between the paper position and the cutting position when cutting is performed along the initial cutting position shown in Fig. 5. In the example shown in Fig. 6, cutting is performed assuming that the laminate film Fm is at the target position Pt, so there is almost no gap between the cutting position on the left side of the figure and the edge of the paper Sh.

[0018] The cutting device according to this embodiment determines the cutting position by the cutting device 4 based on the position of the outer shape of the sheet of paper Sh to be laminated with the laminate film Fm, rather than on the outer shape of the laminate film Fm. The cutting device according to this embodiment can eliminate deviation in the position of the sheet of paper Sh within the laminate film Fm relative to the outer shape of the laminate film Fm after cutting.

[0019] <Configuration of image forming system> Next, the configuration of an image forming system according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described. Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of an image forming system 100. As shown in Fig. 7, the image forming system 100 includes a paper feeder 1, an image forming device 2, a laminator 3, a cutter 4, and a paper discharge device 5.

[0020] The paper feeder 1 feeds paper, which is an example of a recording medium, from a paper feed tray (not shown) and transports it to the image forming apparatus 2. The image forming apparatus 2 forms (prints) an image on a sheet Sh fed from the paper feeder 1 in accordance with a print job input from a terminal device (not shown) or the like.

[0021] The laminating device 3 laminates the paper by overlaying a laminating film on both the front and back sides of the paper conveyed from the image forming device 2.

[0022] The cutting device 4 includes a paper edge detection unit 42, a cutting position determination unit 43, and a cutting unit 44. The paper edge detection unit 42 (an example of a recording medium outer shape detection unit) includes a sensor unit (not shown) such as a line sensor. The paper edge detection unit 42 acquires the position of the edge of the paper based on the read image obtained by reading the image. The cutting unit 44 determines the position of a cutter (not shown) for cutting based on the information on the position of the paper detected by the paper edge detection unit 42, and cuts the laminate film at the determined position. The cutter is configured, for example, as a rotary cutter.

[0023] The paper discharge device 5 includes a paper discharge section 52, and discharges the product produced by the cutting device 4 to the paper discharge section 52.

[0024] <Configuration of the control system of the image forming system> Next, the configuration of a control system of image forming system 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described. Fig. 8 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a control system of image forming device 2, laminating device 3, cutting device 4, and paper discharge device 5 that constitute image forming system 100.

[0025] [Image forming device] As shown in FIG. 8, the image forming apparatus 2 includes a paper feeding section 21, a conveying section 22, an image forming section 23, a fixing section 24, and a control section 25.

[0026] The paper feed unit 21 feeds paper stored in a paper feed tray (not shown) to the image forming unit 23 via a transport path (not shown). The transport unit 22 controls the transport of the paper fed by the paper feed unit 21 through a transport path. The image forming unit 23 forms (prints) an image on a sheet using an image forming method such as an electrophotographic method or an inkjet method. The fixing unit 24 fixes the image onto the paper by pressing the paper on which the image has been formed with a fixing roller (not shown) having a heating unit inside.

[0027] The control unit 25 controls the operation of the above-mentioned components constituting the image forming apparatus 2. The control unit 25 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 251, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 252, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 253, a storage unit 254, an operation display unit 255, and a communication I / F (Interface) 256.

[0028] The CPU 251 reads out program code of software that realizes each function according to this embodiment from the ROM 252, expands it in the RAM 253, and executes it. Variables, parameters, etc. that are generated during the calculation processing by the CPU 251 are temporarily written to the RAM 253.

[0029] The control unit 25 may include a processing device such as an MPU (Micro-Processing Unit) instead of the CPU 251. The control unit 25 may also use a CPU and an MPU in combination. The control unit 25 may also be configured with an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or the like.

[0030] The storage unit 254 is configured with, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), an optical disk, a non-volatile memory card, etc. In addition to an operating system (OS) and various parameters, software programs that realize the various functions according to this embodiment are also recorded in this storage unit 254. The programs may be stored in the ROM 252.

[0031] The program is stored in the form of a computer-readable program code, and the CPU 251 sequentially executes operations in accordance with the program code. In other words, the ROM 252 or the storage unit 254 is used as an example of a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium that stores a program to be executed by a computer.

[0032] The operation display unit 255 is composed of an operation input unit and a display unit. The operation input unit is composed of, for example, buttons, keys, etc., and generates an operation signal in response to an operation by a user and supplies it to the CPU 251. The display unit is, for example, a monitor composed of an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), etc. The operation input unit and the display unit that constitute the operation display unit 255 may be integrated into a touch panel device.

[0033] For example, a network interface card (NIC) or the like is used as the communication I / F 256. The communication I / F 256 is capable of transmitting and receiving various types of data to and from a terminal device (not shown) via a network or a communication line.

[0034] [Laminating device] The laminating device 3 includes a conveying section 31 and a laminating section 32 . The transport unit 31 controls the transport of the laminate film and paper. The laminating unit 32 laminates the paper by placing a laminate film having an adhesive layer on each of the front and back sides of the paper and pressing them together. The laminating unit 32 also cuts the laminated paper in a direction perpendicular to (intersecting with) the conveyance direction. As a result, the laminated laminate film is separated from the laminating roll (not shown).

[0035] [Cutting device] The cutting device 4 includes a conveying section 41, a paper edge detecting section 42, a cutting position determining section 43, and a cutting section 44. The conveying unit 41 controls the conveyance of the laminated paper conveyed from the laminating device 3. The paper edge detection unit 42 obtains a two-dimensional image (read image) of one sheet of paper by accumulating images in the paper width direction acquired by a sensor unit (not shown) in the time direction. Then, the paper edge detection unit 42 detects the size of the paper (hereinafter also referred to as the "measured paper size") and the positions of the edges (four sides) of the paper based on the read image of the paper.

[0036] Cutting position determination unit 43 determines the cutting position based on the measured paper size detected by paper edge detection unit 42 and information on the positions of the edges (four sides) of the paper. The cutting unit 44 includes cutters (not shown). The cutters include a cutter arranged parallel to the paper transport direction and a cutter arranged parallel to the paper width direction. The cutting unit 44 cuts the laminate film with the cutter at the cutting position determined by the cutting position determination unit 43.

[0037] [Paper output device] The paper discharge device 5 includes a conveying section 51 and a paper discharge section 52 . The conveying unit 51 controls the conveyance of the laminated film (product) that has been output from the cutting device 4 and has been subjected to lamination and cutting, to the paper discharge unit 52. The paper discharge unit 52 is a tray onto which the product is discharged.

[0038] <Outline of cutting position determination process> Next, an overview of the cutting position determination process by the image forming system 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 9 and Fig. 10. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of parameters for determining the cutting position in the paper direction. Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of parameters for determining the cutting position in the paper transport direction.

[0039] The parameters shown in FIG. 9 are used when the control unit 25 determines the cutting position of the cutter (not shown) of the cutting device 4 in the paper width direction (hereinafter also referred to as the "CD direction").

[0040] The outermost rectangular frame in Fig. 9 represents the laminate film Fm, and the inner rectangular frame represents the cutout size Sc of the laminate film Fm. Also, in Fig. 9, the specified paper size Sd is represented by a fine dot pattern, and the measured paper size Sa is represented by a coarse dot pattern. Fig. 9 shows an example in which the measured paper size Sa is larger than the specified size Sd.

[0041] The cutting position determination unit 43 (see FIG. 8) of the cutting device 4 calculates the correction amount for the CD direction cutting position using the following formula (1). Then, the cutting position determination unit 43 determines the cutting position using the calculated correction amount.

[0042] CD direction trimming position correction amount = Center offset amount Ao + Paper variation amount Av...Equation (1)

[0043] The center offset amount Ao indicates the amount of deviation in the CD direction from the transport center position C. The transport center position C is the target position where the center line of the paper Sh in the CD direction should be located. The amount of deviation from the front side (bottom side in the figure) of the transport center position C relative to "0" is indicated by a "-" (negative) value. On the other hand, the amount of deviation from the back side (top side in the figure) of the transport center position C relative to "0" is indicated by a "+" (positive) value. The amount of deviation or the coordinates of each end of the four sides of the paper Sh are expressed in units of mm or dots, for example. The sensor offset amount Ao can be calculated using the following equation (2):

[0044] Center offset amount Ao = (paper front edge position PF + paper rear edge position PR) / 2...Equation (2)

[0045] The amount of paper variation Av indicates the amount of deviation between the specified value and the actually measured value of the length of the paper Sh in the CD direction. The amount of paper variation Av can be calculated using the following formula (3).

[0046] Paper variation Av = (CD direction length specified value Pcd + CD direction length actual measurement value PRcd) / 2 ... Equation (3)

[0047] For example, if the paper rear end position PF is "100" and the paper rear end position PR is "-112", the center offset amount Ao is calculated as "-6" based on the above formula (2).

[0048] Also, for example, if the CD length specified value Pcd is 210 (mm), and the CD length actual measurement value PRcd is 212 (mm), the paper variation amount Av can be calculated as 1 based on the above formula (3).

[0049] Then, the cutting position determination unit 43 can calculate the CD direction cutting position correction amount of "-5" by substituting the calculated center offset amount Ao and paper variation amount Av into the above formula (1).

[0050] For example, suppose the specified value (target value) for the front edge position of sheet Sh is "-105" and the set value for the margin amount from the edge of standard-sized paper to the edge of the laminate film after cutting is "10." In this case, the specified value (value before correction) for the front cutting position of sheet Sh is "-115." When the CD direction cutting position correction amount is "-5," cutting position determination unit 43 determines the position of "-120" obtained by adding the CD direction cutting position correction amount of "-5" to "-115" as the cutting position on the front side in the CD direction.

[0051] Also, suppose the specified value (target value) for the rear edge position of sheet Sh is "105." In this case, since the margin amount is "10," the specified value for the rear cutting position of sheet Sh is a position of "115." When the CD direction cutting position correction amount is "-5," the cutting position determination unit 43 determines the position of "110" obtained by adding the CD direction cutting position correction amount of "-5" to "115" as the cutting position on the rear side in the CD direction.

[0052] Next, an overview of the process for determining the cutting position in the paper transport direction (hereinafter also referred to as the "FD direction") will be described with reference to Figure 10. The cutting position in the FD direction is adjusted by moving the laminate film Fm in the FD direction while keeping the cutter position fixed. In other words, the amount of correction for the cutting position in the FD direction is the amount of movement of the laminate film Fm in the FD direction (an example of the transport amount).

[0053] Regarding the cutting position in the FD direction, the cutting position determination unit 43 first determines the cutting position on the leading edge side in the FD direction. Then, the cutting position determination unit 43 sets the cutting position on the trailing edge side to a position moved from the cutting position on the leading edge side by the cut-out set size in the FD direction (hereinafter referred to as the "FD direction cut-out set size Scfd"). The FD direction cut-out set size Scfd indicates the size in the FD direction cut by the cutting unit 44. The FD direction cut-out set size Scfd is set to a size larger than the outline (four sides) of a standard size paper by the amount of margins.

[0054] The cutting position determination unit 43 (see FIG. 8) sets the cutting position on the leading edge side based on the movement amount (distance) from the position where acquisition of the read image by the sensor unit of the paper edge detection unit 42 is completed (hereinafter referred to as the "read image acquisition end position Ps") The leading edge cutting stop distance, which is the movement distance from the read image acquisition end position Ps to the cutting position on the leading edge side, can be calculated by the cutting position determination unit 43 using the following formula (4).

[0055] Leading edge cut stop distance = Cut stop movement distance D - (FD direction cut-out setting size Scfd - actual paper size PRfd) / 2 ... Formula (4)

[0056] The "cutting stop movement distance D" in the above formula (4) is the movement distance from the read image acquisition start position Pss to the cutter arrangement position Pe.

[0057] The cutting position determination unit 43 measures the distance to the cutter arrangement position Pe when the leading edge of the sheet Sh passes the position of the sensor unit of the sheet edge detection unit 42. Then, when the sensor unit of the sheet edge detection unit 42 has finished detecting the trailing edge of the sheet, it calculates the cutting stop movement distance D based on information about the position of the trailing edge of the sheet and information about the conveyance speed of the laminate film Fm.

[0058] The conveying unit 41 of the cutting device 4 stops conveying the laminate film Fm when the laminate film Fm has moved the leading edge trimming stop distance from the state where the sensor unit is located at the scanned image acquisition end position Pse. Then, the cutting unit 44 cuts the laminate film Fm with a cutter (not shown). As a result, the cutting unit 44 cuts the laminate film Fm at a position outside the leading edge of the sheet Sh by the margin.

[0059] According to this embodiment, the cutting position is determined based on the measured paper size acquired by the paper edge detection unit 42. Therefore, even if the measured paper size deviates from the specified size, the outer shape of the cut product can be maintained constant. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the cutting position is determined by the cutting position determination unit 43 based on the scanned image acquisition end position Pse and the FD-direction cutout set size Scfd by the sensor unit. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to prevent the outer shape of the cut product from deviating from the outer shape of the paper Sh.

[0060] <Cutting position determination process> Next, a cutting position determination process performed by the cutting device 4 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 11. Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure for the cutting position determination process.

[0061] First, the control unit 25 (see FIG. 8) determines whether or not the setting for cutting the laminate film is set based on the print job sent from a terminal device (not shown) (step SS1). If the setting for cutting is not set (NO in S1), the cutting position determination process by the cutting device 4 ends.

[0062] On the other hand, if it is determined that cutting is set (YES in S1), the paper edge detection unit 42 of the cutting device 4 performs a process of detecting the outer shape of the laminated paper (S3). The outer shape detection process in S3 will be described in detail with reference to the following FIG. 12.

[0063] Next, the cutting position determination unit 43 calculates the amount of correction for the cutting position based on the information on the outer shape of the paper calculated in S3 (S4). Next, the cutting position determination unit 43 determines the cutting position by a cutter (not shown) using the amount of correction calculated in S4 (S5). After processing in S5, the cutting position determination process by the cutting device 4 ends.

[0064] Next, the paper outer shape detection process executed in S3 of Fig. 11 will be described with reference to Fig. 12. Fig. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure for the paper outer shape detection process. First, paper edge detection unit 42 determines whether the leading edge of the paper in the laminate film has reached the detection position detected by a sensor (not shown) (S11). If it is determined in S11 that the leading edge of the paper has not reached the detection position (NO in S11), paper edge detection unit 42 repeats the determination in S11.

[0065] On the other hand, if it is determined that the paper has arrived (YES in S11), paper edge detection unit 42 starts acquiring a scanned image of the paper (S12). Next, paper edge detection unit 42 determines whether the trailing edge of the paper has passed the detection position (S13). If it is determined in S13 that the trailing edge of the paper has not passed (NO in S13), paper edge detection unit 42 repeats the determination in S13.

[0066] On the other hand, if it is determined that the rear edge of the paper has passed (YES in S13), paper edge detection unit 42 ends acquisition of the scanned image of the paper (S14). Next, paper edge detection unit 42 calculates the positions of the four sides of the paper based on the scanned image (S15). Next, paper edge detection unit 42 calculates the outer size of the paper based on the information about the positions of the four sides of the paper (S16). After processing S16, cutting position determination unit 43 ends the outer shape detection process.

[0067] In the above-described embodiment, the cutting position determination unit 43 determines the cutting position by the cutting device 4 based on the position of the outer edge of the paper detected by the paper edge detection unit 42. In other words, in this embodiment, even if the laminate film meanders during transport, the cutting position is determined based on the position of the outer edge of the paper, not the posture of the laminate film. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to eliminate deviation in the posture of the recording medium inside the laminate film relative to the posture of the cut laminate film.

[0068] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the cutting position determination unit 43 calculates the position of the center line of the laminated paper in the CD direction, which is perpendicular to (intersects with) the FD direction, based on information about the outer shape of the paper detected by the paper edge detection unit 42. Then, the cutting position determination unit 43 corrects the cutting position based on information about the difference between the position of the center line and the target position where the center line should be located (center offset amount Ao, see FIG. 9). Therefore, according to this embodiment, even if the paper transport position is shifted, it is possible to eliminate deviation in the orientation of the recording medium inside the laminate film relative to the outer shape of the cut laminate film.

[0069] In the above-described embodiment, the cutting position determination unit 43 corrects the margin amount based on the difference between the size of the outer shape of the paper in a direction substantially parallel to the FD direction and the specified size of the paper in the same direction. Therefore, even if the size of the paper is misaligned, the outer shape of the laminate film after cutting is maintained constant.

[0070] In the above-described embodiment, an example was given in which a margin is included between the laminated paper and the cutting position of the laminate film, but the margin amount may be "0." In other words, the cutting device according to this embodiment may cut the position of the outline of the laminated paper.

[0071] Furthermore, the above-described embodiments and variants provide detailed and specific descriptions of the configurations of the devices and systems in order to clearly explain the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those having all of the configurations described.

[0072] 8, the control lines or information lines shown by solid lines are those considered necessary for explanation, and do not necessarily show all control lines or information lines in the product. In reality, it can be considered that almost all components are interconnected.

[0073] Furthermore, in this specification, processing steps describing chronological processing include not only processing that is performed chronologically in the order described, but also processing that is not necessarily performed chronologically but is performed in parallel or individually (for example, parallel processing or processing by objects). [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 1...paper feeder, 2...image forming device, 3...laminating device, 4...cutting device, 5...paper discharge device, 23...image forming section, 25...control section, 32...laminating section, 41...conveying section, 42...paper edge detecting section, 43...cutting position determining section, 44...cutting section, 100...image forming system

Claims

1. A cutting device that cuts a recording medium laminated on both sides with a laminating film at a position outside a predetermined margin, a recording medium outer shape detection unit that detects the outer shape of the laminated recording medium; a cutting position determination unit that determines a cutting position by the cutting device based on the position of the outer shape of the recording medium detected by the recording medium outer shape detection unit. Cutting device.

2. The cutting position determination unit corrects the cutting position by changing the amount of movement of a cutter, which is arranged parallel to the conveyance direction of the laminated recording medium, in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction. The cutting device according to claim 1 .

3. The cutting position determination unit calculates the position of a center line of the laminated recording medium in a direction intersecting the transport direction based on information about the outer shape detected by the recording medium outer shape detection unit, and corrects the cutting position based on information about the difference between the position of the center line and a target position where the center line should be located. The cutting device according to claim 2 .

4. the recording medium outer shape detection unit acquires information about the size of the outer shape in a direction intersecting the transport direction, The cutting position determination unit corrects the cutting position, which is set in advance based on a specified size of the recording medium, based on information about the size of the outer shape portion. The cutting device according to claim 3.

5. The cutting position determination unit corrects the margin amount based on information about a difference between the size of the outer shape in a direction substantially parallel to the transport direction and a specified size of the recording medium in a direction substantially parallel to the transport direction. The cutting device according to claim 4.

6. the cutting device has a cutter arranged parallel to a direction intersecting a conveyance direction of the laminated recording medium, The cutting position determination unit corrects the cutting position by changing the conveyance amount of the laminated recording medium. The cutting device according to claim 1 .

7. the recording medium outer shape detection unit acquires information about the length of the outer shape portion in a direction substantially parallel to the transport direction; The cutting position determination unit determines the conveyance amount based on information on the difference between the length of the cutout range of the laminate film in a direction substantially parallel to the conveyance direction, which is preset based on the specified size of the recording medium, and the length of the outer shape portion in a direction substantially parallel to the conveyance direction, which is detected by the recording medium outer shape detection unit. The cutting device according to claim 6.

8. the recording medium outer shape detection unit detects the outer shape of the recording medium based on a read image of the laminated recording medium by a sensor; The cutting position determination unit calculates a value by subtracting the length of the outer portion in a direction substantially parallel to the conveying direction from the length of the cutout range of the laminate film, and dividing the result by two, and sets the value obtained by subtracting the value from the distance from the reading end position of the recording medium by the sensor to the arrangement position of the cutter as the conveyance amount. The cutting device according to claim 7.

9. An image forming system including a cutting device that cuts a recording medium laminated on both sides with a laminating film at a position outside a predetermined margin, an image forming apparatus for forming an image on the recording medium; a laminating device that performs the laminating process on the recording medium on which the image is formed, The cutting device a recording medium outer shape detection unit that detects the outer shape of the laminated recording medium; a cutting position determination unit that determines a cutting position by the cutting device based on the position of the outer shape of the recording medium detected by the recording medium outer shape detection unit. Imaging system.

10. A cutting position determination method for a cutting device that cuts a recording medium laminated on both sides with a laminating film at a position outside a predetermined margin, comprising: a step of detecting an outer shape of the laminated recording medium by a recording medium outer shape detection unit; and a step of determining a cutting position by the cutting device using the position of the outer shape of the recording medium detected by the recording medium outer shape detection unit as a reference by a cutting position determination unit. Cutting position determination method.

Images