Cutting device

Abstract

This reduces the difference in cutting characteristics depending on the cutting direction when cutting an object with a cutter. [Solution] The cutting device (1) includes a cutting means having a cutter 3 that cuts an object to be cut (11) when the relative position to the object to be cut is changed while a pressing load is applied to the object to be cut, and a switching means that rotates the cutting means around a first rotation axis (R1) parallel to the surface on the object to be cut to which the pressing load from the cutter is applied, and switches the position of the cutter between a cutting position in which the cutter applies a pressing load to the object to be cut and a separated position in which the cutter is separated from the object to be cut. The cutting means holds the cutter so that the cutter can rotate around a second rotation axis (R2), and the second rotation axis is tilted toward the first rotation axis when the cutter is in the cutting position.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a cutting device.

Background Art

[0002] In a cutting device for cutting a sheet-like object to be cut (object to be processed), there is a device that cuts out a desired shape from the object to be cut by changing the relative position of the cutter with respect to the object to be cut while pressing the blade of the cutter against the object to be cut from the first surface of the object to be cut. Among this type of cutting device, there is one in which the angle formed by the blade of the cutter and the object to be cut can be switched between a first angle when not cutting and a second angle smaller than the first angle when cutting (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the above-described cutting device, when cutting the object to be cut by moving the relative position of the cutter with respect to the object to be cut in the first direction and when cutting the object to be cut by moving it in the second direction opposite to the first direction, there may be a difference in the way the object to be cut is cut.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and one of its purposes is to reduce the difference in the way of cutting depending on the cutting direction when cutting the object to be cut with a cutter.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A cutting apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention includes a cutting means having a cutter that cuts an object to be cut when the relative position to the object to be cut is changed while a pressing load is applied to the object to be cut, and a switching means that rotates the cutting means with a first rotation axis parallel to the surface on the object to be cut to which the pressing load from the cutter is applied as the center of rotation, and switches the position of the cutter between a cutting position in which the cutter applies a pressing load to the object to be cut and a separated position in which the cutter is separated from the object to be cut, wherein the cutting means holds the cutter so that the cutter can rotate with respect to a second rotation axis as the center of rotation, and the second rotation axis is tilted toward the first rotation axis when the cutter is in the cutting position. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the above embodiment, it is possible to reduce the difference in cutting method depending on the cutting direction when cutting an object with a cutter. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a cutting device according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of a cutting device. [Figure 3] Figures 3A to 3C illustrate the rotational motion of the carriage. [Figure 4] Figures 4A and 4B illustrate the cutting edge angle and blade thickness angle of the cutter. [Figure 5] Figures 5A to 5C illustrate the rotational movement of the cutter. [Figure 6] Figures 6A and 6B illustrate examples of differences in how objects are cut. [Figure 7] Figures 7A and 7B illustrate the relationship between the cutting direction and the blade tip inclination angle in a cutting device according to one embodiment. [Figure 8] Figures 8A and 8B illustrate the relationship between the blade tip inclination angle and the blade thickness angle in the first plane of the workpiece to be cut. [Figure 9] Figure 9 illustrates the reason why the difference in how the workpiece is cut is reduced in a cutting device according to one embodiment. [Figure 10] Figures 10A and 10B show specific examples of the relationship between the blade thickness angle in the XY plane and the pressing load applied to the workpiece for each cutting direction. [Figure 11] Figure 11 illustrates an example of a structure in which a carriage holds the cutter. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The X, Y, and Z axes in the referenced drawings are shown for the purpose of identifying the relationships between identical components shown in different drawings, such as their planes and directions. The X, Y, and Z axes are orthogonal to each other and form a right-handed system. In the following description, the direction parallel to the X axis will be referred to as the X direction, the direction parallel to the Y axis will be referred to as the Y direction, and the direction parallel to the Z axis will be referred to as the Z direction. Furthermore, when relating the X, Y, and Z directions to the directions of the arrows (positive and negative) of the X, Y, and Z axes shown in the drawings, they will be prefixed with "+" or "-", or "positive side" or "negative side". For example, "+X direction" and "-X direction" refer to the direction of travel of the arrow indicating the X axis and the direction opposite to that direction, respectively. Furthermore, "positive X-direction" refers to the side that is in the +X direction when viewed from a reference surface, member, position, etc., and "negative X-direction" refers to the side that is in the -X direction when viewed from a reference surface, member, position, etc.

[0010] In this specification, the Z direction may be referred to as the up and down direction. In this specification, "up" or "above" means the positive Z direction relative to a reference surface, member, position, etc., and "down" or "below" means the negative Z direction relative to a reference surface, member, position, etc. For example, when it is stated that "member B is placed on top of member A," member B is placed on the positive Z direction relative to member A. Also, when it is stated that "the top surface of member A," that surface includes the surface located at the positive Z-side end of member A and facing the positive Z direction. These directions and the names of the surfaces associated with them are used for convenience of explanation only, and the correspondence with the X, Y, and Z axes may change depending on the installation posture of the cutting device exemplified. For example, the surface referred to as the "top surface" in this specification may be referred to as the "bottom surface" or "side surface," etc., and the names of other surfaces may be changed accordingly.

[0011] The aspect ratios and relative sizes of components in each diagram are purely schematic representations and do not necessarily correspond to the actual relationships in manufactured cutting equipment, etc. For the sake of explanation, the relative sizes of components may be exaggerated in some cases. Underlined symbols in the diagrams indicate that a symbol refers to the entire component when a part of that component is referred to by another symbol.

[0012] Furthermore, in this specification and the referenced drawings, multiple identical components assigned the same numerical code are distinguished by the alphabet following the numerical code. In this specification, multiple identical components distinguished by the alphabet in the code may be distinguished by notations such as "the first," "the second," etc. These notations are solely for the purpose of distinguishing multiple identical components, and a component preceded by "the first" in this specification may be referred to as the "second" component. Moreover, in this specification, when referring to matters common to multiple identical components, the notation of the alphabet in the code and notations such as "the first," "the second," etc. may be omitted. For example, the first drive unit 7A, the second drive unit 7B, and the third drive unit 7C may be referred to as "drive unit 7," "drive units 7A, 7B, and 7C," etc.

[0013] The cutting device 1 illustrated in Figure 1 includes a holding member 2, a cutter 3, a carriage 4, a carriage support member 5, transport rollers 6A and 6B, drive units 7A, 7B and 7C, and a control panel 8. Note that Figure 1 illustrates only the main components involved in the cutting operation of the workpiece 11 among the components constituting the cutting device 1 according to one embodiment. In another view, the cutting device 1 may include a cutting unit 100 and a control panel 8 that controls the operation of the cutting unit 100, as illustrated in Figure 2. The cutting unit 100 includes drive units 7A, 7B and 7C, a holding member moving mechanism 110, and a carriage moving mechanism 120, and the carriage moving mechanism 120 includes an X-direction moving mechanism 121 and a rotational moving mechanism 122. The holding member moving mechanism 110 may be a mechanism that moves the holding member 2 in the Y direction by power from a first drive unit (e.g., a stepping motor) 7A. The X-direction movement mechanism 121 may be a mechanism that moves the carriage 4 in the X direction by power from a second drive unit (e.g., a stepping motor) 7B. The rotational movement mechanism 122 may be a mechanism that rotates the carriage 4 around a first rotation axis parallel to the X axis by power from a third drive unit (e.g., a stepping motor) 7C in order to move the blade 300 of the cutter 3 between a distanced position and a cutting position. The cutting position is intended to be the position of the blade 300 of the cutter 3 when cutting the object to be cut 11 (see Figure 3B), and the distanced position is intended to be the position of the blade 300 of the cutter 3 when it is distanced from the object to be cut 11 so that the object to be cut 11 is not cut (see Figure 3A). In the cutting device 1 of Figure 1, the first rotation axis which is the rotation center of the carriage 4 may be the axis R1 of the carriage support member 5. The above combination of components included in the cutting unit 100 may be any combination of components of a well-known cutting device in which the orientation of the blade (cutting edge) 300 of the cutter 3 is automatically changed according to the direction of the relative movement of the cutter 3 with respect to the object to be cut 11.

[0014] The holding member 2 is a member that holds the object to be cut (workpiece) 11, and includes a plate-shaped member 200, sometimes called a backing, and an adhesive layer 210 disposed on the upper surface of the plate-shaped member 200 (see Figure 3A, etc.). The object to be cut 11 may be in the form of a sheet or film, such as paper, resin sheet, or sticker paper. The plate-shaped member 200 may have a thickness and hardness that prevents the object to be cut 11 from warping (bending) when a pressing load is applied to the object to be cut 11 from the blade 300 of the cutter 3. The adhesive layer 210 may be an example of a fixing member that prevents the position of the object to be cut 11, which is placed on the upper surface 201 of the plate-shaped member 200, from shifting. The plate-shaped member 200 has a clamped portion outside the area on the upper surface 201 of the plate-shaped member 200 where the object to be cut 11 is placed, which is clamped by the transport rollers 6A and 6B. The plate-shaped member 200 illustrated in Figure 1 has a clamping portion extending along the Y direction at both the positive end and the negative end in the X direction. The first conveyor roller 6A is positioned above the plate-shaped member 200 so as to rotate around a rotation axis parallel to the X direction, and has a large-diameter clamping portion that contacts the clamping portion on the upper surface 201 of the plate-shaped member 200. The second conveyor roller 6B is positioned below the plate-shaped member 200 so as to rotate around a rotation axis parallel to the X direction, and has a large-diameter clamping portion that contacts the clamping portion on the lower surface of the plate-shaped member 200. The first conveyor roller 6A and the second conveyor roller 6B are included in the holding member moving mechanism 110 in the cutting unit 100 illustrated in Figure 2. The first conveyor roller 6A and the second conveyor roller 6B may have one roller as a driving roller connected to the first drive unit 7A, and the other roller as a driven roller. The holding member moving mechanism 110 may be any well-known mechanism and is not limited to a specific mechanism. For example, the holding member moving mechanism 110 may have a stage on which the holding member 2 is placed and move (slide) the stage in the Y direction.

[0015] The cutter 3 used to cut the object to be cut 11 is mounted on the carriage 4 so as to be rotatable around the rotation axis R2, as illustrated in Figures 3A to 3C. The carriage 4 is supported by the carriage support member 5 so as to be movable in the X direction at a position above the holding member 2 that does not come into contact with the object to be cut 11. The illustrated carriage support member 5 is a round bar and is positioned above the holding member 2 so as not to come into contact with the object to be cut 11, with the extension direction of its axis R1 being in the X direction. The position of the carriage 4 in the X direction along the carriage support member 5 is changed (controlled) by the second drive unit 7B and the X-direction movement mechanism 121. Furthermore, the carriage 4 is supported so as to be rotatable around the axis R1 of the carriage support member 5, and the rotational position of the carriage 4 with the axis R1 as the rotational center is changed (controlled) by the third drive unit 7C and the rotational movement mechanism 122. In the cutting device 1 according to the embodiment, the rotational position of the carriage 4 is changed between a first rotational position in which the cutter 3 is in the cutting position and a second rotational position in which the cutter 3 is in a separated position. The cutting position of the cutter 3 may be a position in which the blade (cutting edge) 300 of the cutter 3 bites into the object to be cut 11 to the extent that the object to be cut 11 can be cut by the blade (cutting edge) 300 of the cutter 3. The separated position of the cutter 3 may be a position in which the cutter 3 in the cutting position is rotated by an angle θ1 in the direction away from the holding member 2 (upper surface 201 of the plate-shaped member 200), thereby separating the blade 300 of the cutter 3 from the object to be cut 11, as illustrated in Figure 3A. In this specification, the expression "bite into" means applying a pressing load from the blade 300 of the cutter 3 to the object to be cut 11 in order to cut the object to be cut 11 (pressing the blade 300 against the object to be cut 11). In other words, the terms "to bite in," "to make bite in," and other similar expressions in this specification may be synonymous with "to press in," "to press in," and other similar expressions. Furthermore, the act of making the blade 300 of the cutter 3 bite into the object to be cut 11 may be reinterpreted as piercing the blade 300 of the cutter 3 into the object to be cut 11. In the following description, the axis R1 of the carriage support member 5, which is the rotation center of the carriage 4, will be referred to as the "first rotation axis R1," and the rotation axis R2 of the cutter 3 attached to the carriage 4 will be referred to as the "second rotation axis R2."The cutter 3 attached to the carriage 4 moves between a cutting position and a separated position by rotating about the first rotation axis R1, and the direction of the blade 300 when cutting the workpiece 11 forward by rotating about the second rotation axis R2 is changed.

[0016] As described above, the carriage 4 holding the cutter 3 is disposed at a position where it does not contact the workpiece 11 above the holding member 2. For this reason, the cutter 3 is attached to the carriage 4 such that when in the cutting position (see FIG. 3B), it extends downward from the lower surface of the carriage 4 and the blade 300 at the lower end bites into the workpiece 11. Further, in the illustrated cutting device 1, the cutter 3 is attached to the carriage 4 such that the workpiece 11 is cut by the blade 300 of the cutter 3 at a position on the negative Y direction side with respect to the first rotation axis R1 which is the rotation center of the carriage 4. In other words, the cutter 3 in the illustrated cutting device 1 is disposed at a position separated by a predetermined distance in the -Y direction from the first rotation axis R1 of the carriage 4.

[0017] In the cutting device 1 according to the embodiment, the cutter 3 is attached to the carriage 4 such that the extending direction of the second rotation axis R2 when the cutter 3 is in the cutting position is not parallel to the normal direction (Z direction) of the upper surface 1101 of the workpiece 11. The extending direction of the second rotation axis R2 when the cutter 3 is in the cutting position is inclined by an angle θ2 (≠0) with respect to the Z direction within the YZ plane having the extending direction of the first rotation axis R1 which is the rotation center of the carriage 4 to which the cutter 3 is attached as the normal direction, as illustrated in FIGS. 3B and 3C. More specifically, the relationship between the distance D1 from a point on one end of the second rotation axis R2 of the cutter 3 where the blade 300 of the cutter 3 is provided to the reference line L1 passing through the first rotation axis R1 and extending in the normal direction (Z direction) of the upper surface 1101 of the workpiece 11, and the distance D2 from a point on the other end to the reference line L1 is inclined in a direction where D1 > D2.

[0018] As illustrated in Figures 4A and 4B, the cutter 3 may have a blade (cutting edge) 300 formed by the ridge edges of two planes 310A and 310B at one end of a round bar in the axial direction, and is mounted on the carriage 4 such that the axis of the round bar becomes the second axis of rotation R2. The material of the cutter 3 (round bar) may be a magnetic material such as steel or iron. The cutting edge angle θ3 and the cutting edge thickness angle θ4 in the cutter 3 may be 40 degrees and 35 degrees in one example, but are not limited to a specific combination of angles. In this specification, the cutting edge angle θ3 refers to the angle between the side surface of the round bar at the tip 301 of the blade 300 and the extension direction of the blade (cutting edge) 300. The cutting edge thickness angle θ4 refers to the angle between planes 310A and 310B in a plane (cross-section) perpendicular to the extension direction of the blade 300. In Figures 4A and 4B, the W-axis and V-axis are axes parallel to and perpendicular to the extension direction of the blade 300 of the cutter 3, and are shown as axes in the YZ plane (i.e., axes perpendicular to the X-axis). The directions of the W-axis and V-axis are changed according to the rotational position when the cutter 3 is rotated around the first rotation axis R1 and the second rotation axis R2. In the following description, the extension direction of the blade 300 of the cutter 3, represented by the W-axis, will be referred to as the W-direction.

[0019] As described above, the cutter 3 is mounted on the carriage 4 so as to rotate around a second rotation axis R2 that coincides with the axis of the round bar. That is, the tip 301 of the cutter 3 is offset by a distance D3 from the second rotation axis R2. For this reason, the cutting device 1 according to the embodiment can change the orientation of the blade 300 when the cutter 3 is in the cutting position in accordance with the change in the relative position of the cutter 3 with respect to the workpiece 11. The orientation of the blade 300 of the cutter 3 can be the direction from the tip 301 to the other end of the blade 300 in a plane whose normal direction is the extension direction of the second rotation axis R2. For example, the orientation of the blade 300 of the cutter 3 shown in Figure 5A is in the +X direction, which is schematically shown by a solid isosceles triangle in the XY plane view in Figure 5B. When the blade 300 of the cutter 3 is oriented in the +X direction, operating the relative position changing means to change the relative position of the cutter 3 with respect to the workpiece 11 in the -Y direction causes the cutter 3 to rotate around its tip 301 as a pivot point, changing the orientation of the blade 300 in the -Y direction. Therefore, if the relative position changing means continues to operate to change the relative position of the cutter 3 with respect to the workpiece 11 in the -Y direction, the workpiece 11 can be cut in the -Y direction, as shown in Figure 5C. In the illustrated cutting device 1, when the relative position of the cutter 3 with respect to the workpiece 11 is changed in the -Y direction, the holding member 2 is moved in the +Y direction. When the holding member 2 is moved in the +Y direction, the section 12 cut by the blade 300 of the cutter 3 in the workpiece 11 progresses in the -Y direction. Conversely, in the illustrated cutting device 1, when the holding member 2 is moved in the -Y direction, the section cut by the blade 300 of the cutter 3 in the workpiece 11 progresses in the +Y direction. In the following explanation, the direction in which the section cut by the blade 300 of the cutter 3 progresses in the object to be cut 11 will be referred to as the "cutting direction." That is, when the blade 300 is oriented in the -Y direction, the cutting direction is the -Y direction, and when the blade 300 is oriented in the +Y direction, the cutting direction is the +Y direction. The cutting direction and the direction in which the cut section progresses may also be interpreted as the direction in which the blade 300 of the cutter 3 cuts through the object to be cut 11.

[0020] As described above, in the cutting device 1, the tip 301 of the blade 300 of the cutter 3 is offset by a distance D3 from the second rotation axis R2 (see Figure 4A). Therefore, when the cutter 3, which rotates around the first rotation axis R1 as the center of rotation, is moved to the cutting position, the load applied from the blade 300 of the cutter 3 to the workpiece 11 varies depending on the orientation of the blade 300. Figure 6A shows three examples of the distance from the first rotation axis R1 to the tip 301 of the blade 300 of the cutter 3. The distance from the first rotation axis R1 to the tip 301 is the length of the perpendicular line drawn from the tip 301 to the first rotation axis R1. The first example is when the cutting direction (orientation of the blade 300 at the cutting position) is parallel to the extension direction (X direction) of the first rotation axis R1, and in this specification, the distance from the first rotation axis R1 to the tip 301 in this case is denoted as L. The second example is when the cutting direction is the +Y direction, in which case the distance from the first rotation axis R1 to the tip 301 is L+D3. The third example is when the cutting direction is the -Y direction, in which case the distance from the first rotation axis R1 to the tip 301 is L-D3.

[0021] When the cutter 3 rotates around the first rotation axis R1 and moves to the cutting position, the pressing load applied from the blade 300 of the cutter 3 to the workpiece 11 can be expressed as the force moment M divided by the distance from the first rotation axis R1 to the tip 301. That is, as shown in Figure 6A, the pressing load when the cutting direction is in the +Y direction is M / (L+D3), and the pressing load when the cutting direction is in the -Y direction is M / (L-D3). Since (L+D3)>(L-D3), the pressing load when the cutting direction is in the -Y direction is greater than the pressing load when the cutting direction is in the +Y direction.

[0022] In conventional cutting devices, the extension direction of the second rotation axis R2 of the cutter 3 at the cutting position is substantially the same as the normal direction (Z direction) of the upper surface 1101 of the workpiece 11. In this case, as shown in Figure 6B, the angle of the extension direction of the blade 300 of the cutter 3 with respect to the Z direction is the same angle (blade tip angle θ3) when the cutting direction is the +Y direction and when it is the -Y direction, and the blade thickness angle in the XY plane is also the same angle θ5. The blade thickness angle in the XY plane refers to the angle between the plane 311 and the plane 312 that form the blade 300 in the XY plane (cross-section) parallel to the upper surface 1101 of the workpiece 11 at the cutting position. For example, if the blade tip angle θ3 and blade thickness angle θ4 of the cutter 3 at the cutting position are 40 degrees and 35 degrees, respectively, and the extension direction of the second rotation axis R2 is the Z direction, then the blade thickness angle θ5 in the XY plane is 27.2 degrees. In this specification, the blade thickness angle in the XY plane may also be referred to as the blade thickness angle in the cutting direction.

[0023] When the extension direction of the second rotation axis R2 of the cutter 3 at the cutting position is the Z direction, as illustrated in Figure 6B, the blade thickness angle in the XY plane is the same whether the cutting direction is +Y or -Y, but the pressing load applied to the workpiece 11 is different. When the cutter 3 cuts the workpiece 11, the smaller the blade thickness angle in the XY plane, the smaller the pressing load required for cutting. In other words, even if the cutting directions of the two cutting lines set on the workpiece 11 are different, if the blade thickness angle in the XY plane is the same, the pressing load required when cutting along each cutting line will be the same. That is, when the extension direction of the second rotation axis R2 of the cutter 3 at the cutting position is the Z direction, the pressing load required to cut the workpiece 11 is the same whether the cutting direction is +Y or -Y. However, the pressing load actually applied is different when the cutting direction is +Y or -Y, as illustrated in Figure 6B. Therefore, when the extension direction of the second rotation axis R2 of the cutter 3 at the cutting position is the Z direction, a difference in how the workpiece 11 is cut occurs due to the difference in the pressing load applied from the cutter 3 to the workpiece 11 when the cutting direction is the +Y direction and when it is the -Y direction. In order to reduce such a difference in how the workpiece 11 is cut due to the difference in the pressing load applied to the workpiece 11, the cutting device 1 according to the embodiment is configured such that the second rotation axis R2 of the cutter 3 at the cutting position is tilted by an angle θ2 with respect to the direction normal to the upper surface of the workpiece 11, as described above. In other words, when the cutter 3 is at the cutting position (see Figure 3B), the second rotation axis R2 of the cutter 3 is tilted by an angle θ2 toward the first rotation axis R1. In this way, when the cutting direction is in the +Y direction, the angle of the extension direction of the blade 300 of the cutter 3 with respect to the Z direction is θ2 larger than the angle when the extension direction of the second rotation axis R2 is in the Z direction (blade tip angle θ3), as illustrated in Figure 7A. On the other hand, when the cutting direction is in the -Y direction, the angle of the extension direction of the blade 300 of the cutter 3 with respect to the Z direction is θ2 smaller than the angle when the extension direction of the second rotation axis R2 is in the Z direction (blade tip angle θ3), as illustrated in Figure 7B.

[0024] When a cutter 3 with a cutting edge angle θ3 is oriented so that the extension direction of the second rotation axis R2 is parallel to the Z direction, the angle of the extension direction of the blade 300 with respect to the Z direction is the same as the cutting edge angle θ3, regardless of the cutting direction (see Figure 4). At this time, the blade thickness angle in the XY plane is the blade thickness angle in plane P2, which is obtained by rotating plane P1, whose normal direction is the extension direction of the blade 300 (W direction), by an angle θ3 around an axis perpendicular to the W and V axes (the X axis in Figure 8A), as shown in Figure 8A. That is, the angle θ5 in the XY plane in Figure 6B is the angle between planes 311 and 312 that form the blade 300 in plane P2.

[0025] When the angle of the extension direction (W direction) of the blade 300 with respect to the Z direction at the cutting position is greater than the blade tip angle θ3 (see Figure 7A), the angle between the plane P1 and the upper surface 1101 (XY plane) of the workpiece 11 becomes greater than the blade tip angle θ3. Therefore, in the cutting device 1 according to the embodiment, the plane that is parallel to the XY plane when the cutting direction is the +Y direction is the plane obtained by rotating plane P1 around the X axis by an angle θ61 (>θ3), as exemplified by plane P3 in Figure 8A. Conversely, when the angle of the extension direction (W direction) of the blade 300 with respect to the Z direction at the cutting position is smaller than the blade tip angle θ3 (see Figure 7B), the angle between the plane P1 and the upper surface 1101 (XY plane) of the workpiece 11 becomes smaller than the blade tip angle θ3. Therefore, in the cutting device 1 according to this embodiment, the plane that is parallel to the XY plane when the cutting direction is the -Y direction is the plane obtained by rotating plane P1 around the X axis by an angle θ71 (<θ3), as shown in the example plane P4 in Figure 8A.

[0026] When the plane P1 illustrated in Figure 8A is rotated from 0 to 90 degrees around the X-axis, the blade thickness angle within plane P1 (the angle between planes 311 and 312) decreases as the rotation angle increases. Therefore, the relationship between the blade thickness angle θ62 in plane P3 and the blade thickness angle θ72 in plane P4, illustrated in Figure 8B, is θ72 > θ62. Figure 9 shows the pressing load applied from the blade 300 of the cutter 3 to the workpiece 11 and the blade thickness angle in the XY plane during cutting, for both the +Y and -Y directions in the cutting device 1 according to the embodiment. In the cutting device 1 according to the embodiment, the smaller the blade thickness angle in the XY plane during cutting, the smaller the pressing load required to cut the workpiece 11. In the illustrated cutting device 1, as described above, the blade thickness angle θ62 when the cutting direction is +Y is smaller than the blade thickness angle θ72 when the cutting direction is -Y. Therefore, the pressing load required when the cutting direction is in the +Y direction is smaller than the pressing load required when the cutting direction is in the -Y direction. In the illustrated cutting device 1, the pressing load M / (L+D3) when the cutting direction is in the +Y direction is smaller than the pressing load M / (L-D3) when the cutting direction is in the -Y direction. Thus, in the cutting device 1 according to this embodiment, the relationship between the magnitudes of the pressing loads required to cut the workpiece 11 when the cutting direction is in the +Y direction and when it is in the -Y direction is the same as the relationship between the magnitudes of the pressing loads applied from the cutter 3 to the workpiece 11. Therefore, by tilting the second rotation axis R2 toward the first rotation axis R1 when the cutter 3 is in the cutting position, it is possible to reduce the difference in cutting caused by the difference in pressing load compared to the case where the blade thickness angle in the XY plane is the same when the cutting direction is in the +Y direction and when it is in the -Y direction.

[0027] Figure 10A shows an example of specific numerical values ​​when the blade thickness angle in the XY plane is the same whether the cutting direction is +Y or -Y. The distance from the first rotation axis R1 to the tip 301 is shown by referring to Figure 6A and setting the distance L from the first rotation axis R1 to the second rotation axis R2 to 24 mm, and referring to Figure 4A and setting the distance D3 from the second rotation axis R2 to the tip 301 to 0.5 mm. When the extension direction of the second rotation axis R2 is parallel to the Z direction, the blade thickness angle in the XY plane is the same whether the cutting direction is +Y or -Y. When the cutting edge angle θ3 of the cutter 3 is 40 degrees and the blade thickness angle θ4 is 35 degrees, the cutting edge angle in the XY plane when the extension direction of the second rotation axis R2 is parallel to the Z direction is 27.2 degrees. Furthermore, the pressing load when the cutting direction is in the +Y direction is approximately 4% lower than the pressing load when the cutting direction is in the -Y direction. For this reason, for example, when the cutting direction is in the +Y direction, if the pressing load is insufficient, the cutter 3 may shift in the +Z direction from the cutting position due to the resistance force received by the workpiece 11, and the lower surface of the workpiece 11 may not be cut.

[0028] On the other hand, Figure 10B shows an example of specific numerical values ​​for the blade thickness angle in the XY plane when the cutting direction in the cutting device 1 of the embodiment is in the +Y direction and in the -Y direction. The distance from the first rotation axis R1 to the tip 301, the cutting edge angle θ3 of the cutter 3, and the blade thickness angle θ4 are the same as in the example in Figure 10A. In the example in Figure 10B, the angle θ2 of the second rotation axis R2 with respect to the Z direction when the cutter 3 is in the cutting position (see Figures 7A and 7B) is 1.4 degrees. In this example, the blade thickness angle in the XY plane is 26.6 degrees when the cutting direction is in the +Y direction, and the blade thickness angle in the XY plane is 27.7 degrees when the cutting direction is in the -Y direction. In other words, the blade thickness angle in the XY plane when the cutting direction is in the +Y direction is about 4% smaller than the blade thickness angle in the XY plane when the cutting direction is in the -Y direction. Furthermore, in the example shown in Figure 10B, the pressing load when the cutting direction is in the +Y direction is approximately 4% lower than the pressing load when the cutting direction is in the -Y direction. Therefore, in the cutting device 1 of the embodiment, the effect of the difference in pressing load caused by the difference in distance from the first rotation axis R1 to the tip 301 of the cutter 3 on how the workpiece 11 is cut can be canceled out (reduced) by the difference in the blade thickness angle in the XY plane. Note that the angle θ2 of the second rotation axis R2 with respect to the Z direction when the cutter 3 is in the cutting position is not limited to the 1.4 degrees mentioned above. The angle θ2 can be appropriately changed according to the difference in distance from the first rotation axis R1 to the tip 301, the cutting edge angle θ3 of the cutter 3, and the blade thickness angle θ4 when the cutting directions are opposite to each other. The angle θ2 is set such that, for example, the ratio of the blade thickness angle in the XY plane when the cutting direction is in the +Y direction to the blade thickness angle in the XY plane when the cutting direction is in the -Y direction has a predetermined relationship with the ratio of the pressing load applied from the blade 300 of the cutter 3 at the cutting position to the workpiece 11. The angle θ2 may also be set such that, for example, the first resistance force that the blade 300 of the cutter 3 receives from the workpiece 11 when the cutting direction is in the +Y direction and the second resistance force that the blade 300 of the cutter 3 receives from the workpiece 11 when the cutting direction is in the -Y direction are approximately the same magnitude. Alternatively, the angle θ2 may be set based on, for example, the ratio of the first resistance force to the second resistance force when the extension direction of the second rotation axis R2 of the cutter 3 at the cutting position is the normal direction to the workpiece 11.The ratio of the first resistance force to the second resistance force at this time can be determined, for example, based on the distance from the first rotation axis R1 to the second rotation axis R2 (distance L in Figure 6A) and the distance D3 from the second rotation axis R2 to the tip 301, as shown in Figure 6A.

[0029] In this specification, examples were given of the difference in pressing load affecting the way the workpiece 11 is cut, specifically when the cutting direction is in the +Y direction and when it is in the -Y direction. However, in the illustrated cutting device 1, when cutting the workpiece 11 along a single cutting line set on the workpiece 11, one of two opposing cutting directions is selected. If the cutting direction along the cutting line is not in the X direction, there is a difference in the distance from the first rotation axis R1 to the tip 301 of the cutter 3 between cutting in one cutting direction and cutting in the other cutting direction. In the cutting device 1 according to this embodiment, even when the cutting direction is different from both the X and Y directions, the blade thickness angle in the XY plane is changed according to the cutting direction, so that the difference in how the workpiece 11 is cut depending on the cutting direction can be reduced.

[0030] Furthermore, the cutting edge angle θ3, the blade thickness angle θ4, and the distance D3 from the second rotation axis R2 to the tip 301 of the cutter 3 in the cutting device 1 according to the embodiment are not limited to the values ​​described above. Also, the distance L from the first rotation axis R1 to the tip 301 when the blade 300 is oriented in the X direction, and the inclination angle θ2 of the second rotation axis R2 with respect to the Z direction of the cutter 3 at the cutting position are also not limited to the values ​​described above. Moreover, in the cutting device 1 according to the embodiment, the method of holding the cutter 3 with the carriage 4 so that the second rotation axis R2 of the cutter 3 at the cutting position is inclined by an angle θ2 with respect to the Z direction is not limited to a specific method.

[0031] The carriage 4 in the cutting device 1 according to the embodiment may have a shape in which a housing portion 401 is formed to house a cutter holder 9 on which a cutter 3 is mounted, as illustrated in Figure 11. The cutter holder 9 holds the cutter 3 such that the axis of the cutter 3 becomes the second axis of rotation R2, and the direction of the blade 300 can be changed by 360 degrees by the cutter 3 rotating around the second axis of rotation R2 as the center of rotation. The cutter holder 9 includes a cylindrical portion 900, a magnet 910, a cap 920, and a bearing 930. The cylindrical portion 900 is a generally cylindrical member having an upper housing portion that houses the magnet 910 and a lower housing portion that houses the bearing 930 that rotatably supports the cutter 3, with the upper housing portion and the lower housing portion communicating through a small diameter hole. The position of the magnet 910 housed in the upper housing portion is fixed by fitting the cap 920 into the upper housing portion. The cutter 3 is a round bar made of a magnetic material such as steel or iron, with a blade 300 formed at one end in the axial direction. The end opposite to the end on which the blade 300 is formed (the upper end) is rotatably inserted into the small-diameter hole of the cylindrical part 900, and the intermediate portion between the upper end and the end on which the blade 300 is provided (the lower end) is rotatably supported by a bearing 930.

[0032] The housing portion 401 of the carriage 4 is connected from the bottom surface to the top surface of the carriage 4, and has a fitting portion 402 on the top surface side into which the cutter holder 9 is fitted, and a small-diameter hole portion 403 on the bottom surface side into which the cutter 3 mounted on the cutter holder 9 extends downward to the carriage 4. The fitting portion 402 is configured such that when the cutter 3 mounted on the fitted cutter holder 9 is in the cutting position, the extension direction of the second rotation axis R2 is inclined by an angle θ2 with respect to the Z direction. The extension direction of the second rotation axis R2 is inclined in a direction such that, as described above with reference to Figure 3B, the distance D1 from one end of the second rotation axis R2 of the cutter 3 in the cutting position, where the blade 300 of the cutter 3 is provided, to the reference line L1 that extends in the Z direction through the first rotation axis R1 which is the rotation center of the carriage 4 to which the cutter 3 is attached, is longer than the distance D2 from the other end to the reference line L1.

[0033] The method of holding the cutter 3 with the carriage 4 in the cutting device 1 according to the embodiment is not limited to the method described above with reference to Figure 11. For example, the cylindrical portion 900 of the cutter holder 9 shown in Figure 11 may be integrally formed with the carriage 4. In addition, in the cutting device 1 according to the embodiment, for example, by adjusting the distance from the upper surface of the plate-shaped member 200 of the holding member 2 to the axis R1 of the carriage support member 5, the cutting position of the cutter 3 attached to the carriage 4 may be set so that the extension direction of the second rotation axis R2 is the normal direction to the lower surface of the carriage 4, and the second rotation axis R2 is tilted by an angle θ2 with respect to the Z direction.

[0034] The first drive unit 7A and holding member moving mechanism 110, and the second drive unit 7B and X-direction moving mechanism 121 in the cutting device 1 described above are examples of relative position changing means that change the relative position of the blade 300 of the cutter 3 with respect to the workpiece 11 held by the holding member 2 in a plan view of the upper surface (XY plane) of the workpiece 11. The relative position changing means in the cutting device 1 may be configured such that, instead of the holding member moving mechanism 110, a mechanism is added to the carriage moving mechanism 120 that allows the carriage 4 to move in the Y direction. As a specific example, the cutting device 1 may be configured such that the carriage support member 5 can be moved in the Y direction by the first drive unit 7A, and the transport rollers 6A and 6B may be omitted. The relative position changing means in the cutting device 1 may include, for example, a mechanism that rotates the holding member 2 (workpiece 11) in a plane parallel to the upper surface of the plate-shaped member 200. Furthermore, the third drive unit 7C and the rotational movement mechanism 122 in the cutting device 1 described above are examples of relative position changing means for changing the relative position of the blade 300 of the cutter 3 with respect to the workpiece 11 in the thickness direction (Z direction) of the workpiece 11. That is, the term "relative position changing means" as used herein refers to means that can both change the relative position of the blade 300 of the cutter 3 with respect to the workpiece 11 in the XY plane parallel to the upper surface 1101 of the workpiece 11, and change the relative position of the blade 300 of the cutter 3 with respect to the workpiece 11 in the thickness direction (Z direction) of the workpiece 11.

[0035] The operation of the cutting device 1 is controlled by the control panel 8. As illustrated in Figure 2, the control panel 8 includes a control unit 801, a storage unit 802, an input unit 803, a display unit 804, and a communication unit 805, and these components are interconnected by a bus 806. The control unit 801 controls the operation of the cutting unit 100 by executing a control program for controlling the operation of the cutting unit 100. The functions of the control unit 801 are provided by a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that executes the control program stored in the storage unit 802. The storage unit 802 stores the control program for controlling the operation of the cutting unit 100, cutting data including information about the cutting line (cutting path) set on the object to be cut 11, etc. The functions of the storage unit 802 can be provided by ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory) as main memory. The storage device that provides the functions of the storage unit 802 may also include auxiliary storage devices such as HDD (Hard Disk Drive) and SSD (Solid State Drive). The input unit 803 accepts operations for inputting and selecting control parameters related to the operation of the cutting unit 100. The display unit 804 visualizes and displays information indicating the control parameters and operating status related to the operation of the cutting unit 100. The functions of the input unit 803 and the display unit 804 are provided, for example, by an operation panel that integrates an input device such as a switch or keyboard with a display device such as a liquid crystal display. The operation panel may have a touch panel display that has the functions of both the input unit 803 and the display unit 804. The communication unit 805 communicates with the cutting unit 100 by wire or wireless means, and performs tasks such as acquiring the operating status of the cutting unit 100 and transmitting control signals to the cutting unit 100. The communication unit 805 can communicate with, for example, an imaging device (not shown) that captures an image showing the cutting line to be set on the object to be cut 11, and may acquire the image data captured by the imaging device as cutting data or its source data. When the image data captured by the imaging device is acquired as source data for cutting data, the control unit 801 performs processing to derive the cutting line from the source data (image).

[0036] The control panel 800 is not limited to being a device designed and manufactured specifically for controlling the cutting unit 100; it may also be a general-purpose computer such as a personal computer that executes a computer-readable control program. The multiple functions shown in the control panel 8 of Figure 2, divided into multiple blocks, may be provided by a single piece of hardware. For example, the functions of the control unit 801 and the memory unit 802 may be provided by integrated circuit devices such as FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays) and ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits). Also, the functions shown in a single block in the control panel 8 of Figure 2 may be provided by multiple separate pieces of hardware. For example, the functions of the memory unit 802 may be provided by ROM and RAM, as well as auxiliary storage devices such as HDDs, as described above. Furthermore, there may be two or more processors providing the functions of the control unit 801. The control panel 8 and the cutting unit 100 in the cutting device 1 are not limited to separate components connected by a communication cable or the like. The control panel 8 may be a small computer referred to as a control device 8 or control unit 8, and may be built into the device housing of the cutting device 1 together with the cutting unit 100. Furthermore, the cutting device 1 according to this embodiment may be controlled by a smartphone or personal computer capable of communicating with the communication unit 805 of the control panel 8.

[0037] The embodiments described above are specific examples provided to facilitate understanding of the invention, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. The cutting device can be modified in various ways without departing from the scope of the claims. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0038] 1…Cutting device, 2…Holding member, 3…Cutter, 300…Blade, 4…Carriage, 5…Carriage support member, 7C…Third drive unit, 122…Rotational movement mechanism, 11…Workpiece to be cut, 1101…Top surface, R1…First rotation axis, R2…Second rotation axis

Claims

1. A cutting means having a cutter that cuts an object to be cut when a pressing load is applied to the object to be cut and the relative position to the object to be cut is changed, A switching means rotates the cutting means around a first rotation axis parallel to the surface on the workpiece to be cut to which the pressing load from the cutter is applied, and switches the position of the cutter between a cutting position in which the cutter applies a pressing load to the workpiece and a separated position in which the cutter is separated from the workpiece. Equipped with, The cutting means holds the cutter so that it can rotate around the second rotation axis as the center of rotation. The second rotation axis is tilted toward the first rotation axis when the cutter is in the cutting position. Cutting device.

2. The second rotation axis is inclined by a predetermined angle with respect to the normal to the surface of the object to be cut in a plane whose normal direction is the extension direction of the first rotation axis when the cutter is in the cutting position. The cutting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the distance from a point on one end of the cutter on the second rotation axis closer to the work to be cut to a reference line extending through the first rotation axis in the direction normal to the work to be cut is inclined in a direction that is longer than the distance from a point on the other end of the cutter on the second rotation axis to the reference line.

3. The predetermined angle of the second rotation axis is set such that the first resistance force that the cutter blade receives from the workpiece when the direction of relative movement of the cutter with respect to the workpiece is a first direction perpendicular to the first rotation axis, and the second resistance force that the cutter blade receives from the workpiece when the direction of relative movement of the cutter with respect to the workpiece is a second direction opposite to the first direction, are substantially the same in magnitude. The cutting apparatus according to claim 2.

4. The predetermined angle of the second rotation axis is The ratio of the first resistance force to the second resistance force is determined based on the distance from the reference line to the second rotation axis and the distance from the second rotation axis to the cutting tip of the cutter, when the extension direction of the second rotation axis of the cutter at the cutting position is the normal direction to the surface of the object to be cut. The cutting apparatus according to claim 3.

5. The predetermined angle of the second rotation axis is set such that the ratio of the first blade thickness angle of the cutter blade in a plane parallel to the surface of the workpiece when the cutter is in the cutting position and the direction of relative movement of the cutter with respect to the workpiece is a first direction perpendicular to the first rotation axis, to the second blade thickness angle of the cutter blade in a plane parallel to the surface of the workpiece when the cutter is in the cutting position and the direction of relative movement of the cutter with respect to the workpiece is a second direction opposite to the first direction, is substantially equal to the ratio of the first pressing load applied from the cutter to the workpiece when the direction of relative movement is the first direction, to the second pressing load applied from the cutter to the workpiece when the direction of relative movement is the second direction. The cutting apparatus according to claim 2.

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