Media processing equipment

Abstract

It can cut with high precision regardless of the type of material being cut. [Solution] The media processing apparatus 100 comprises a processing unit 70 that processes a sheet-shaped medium S by pressing it against the medium S, and a medium transport mechanism 5 and a cutting mechanism 7 that function as relative movement mechanisms to move the processing unit 70 relative to the medium S. The processing unit 70 comprises a cutting blade 8 for processing the medium S, a cutting blade holder 73 whose axis center s1 is substantially perpendicular to the medium plane, and which supports the cutting blade 8 so as to be rotatable around a support shaft 75 that is perpendicular to the relative movement direction of the cutting blade 8 during cutting of the medium S by the cutting blade 8 and extends along the medium S, and a coil spring 76 as an elastic member that biases the cutting blade 8, which has rotated in a first direction d2 around the support shaft 75 due to the reaction force from the medium S, in a second direction d3 opposite to the direction of rotation during the processing operation of the processing unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a medium processing device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a cutting device which is a medium processing device that cuts a medium into a desired shape by relatively moving a cutting blade (in Patent Document 1, a cutting edge) and a medium (in Patent Document 1, an object to be cut) based on cutting data (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] However, in a conventional medium processing device (cutting device) such as the device described in Patent Document 1, as shown in FIG. 5 of Patent Document 1, the cutting blade is fixed substantially perpendicular to the medium, and processing (cutting operation) is performed in this state. Therefore, it was impossible to cut the medium cleanly without replacing the cutting blade depending on the thickness and hardness of the medium.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object thereof is to provide a medium processing device that can accurately cut regardless of the type of medium to be cut.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above problems, the media processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises a processing unit that presses against a sheet-like medium to process the medium, and a relative movement mechanism that moves the processing unit relative to the medium, wherein the processing unit comprises a cutting blade for processing the medium, a holder whose axis center is substantially perpendicular to the medium plane, and which supports the cutting blade so as to be rotatable about a support axis that is perpendicular to the relative movement direction of the cutting blade during cutting of the medium by the cutting blade and extends along the medium, and an elastic member that biases the cutting blade, which has rotated in a first direction about the support axis due to a reaction force from the medium, in a second direction opposite to the direction of rotation during the processing operation of the processing unit, in a second direction opposite to the direction of rotation. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a media processing apparatus that can cut with high precision regardless of the type of media being cut. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing the overall external appearance of the main parts of the media processing apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram of the main components showing the functional configuration of a media processing apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the main components of the cutting blade holder in the embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a plan view showing the cutting blade held in the cutting blade holder shown in Figure 3. [Figure 5] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the state in which the cutting blade holder shown is lowered to a position where the cutting edge of the cutting blade is in contact with the medium. [Figure 6] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the state in which the cutting blade and the medium are moved relative to each other so that cutting is performed in the cutting direction, starting from the state shown in Figure 5. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] An embodiment of the media processing apparatus 100 according to the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 6. In the example shown in Figure 1, the width direction of the media processing apparatus 100 is the X-axis direction, and the depth direction of the apparatus, which is perpendicular to the X-axis direction, is the Y-axis direction. The height direction of the apparatus is the Z-axis direction, and the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions are perpendicular to each other. In this embodiment, the X-axis direction is the direction of movement of the processing unit 70, and the Y-axis direction is the direction of media transport. The media processing apparatus 100 moves the processing unit 70 and the media S relative to each other in the X-axis and Y-axis directions. The X-axis direction, Y-axis direction, and Z-axis direction are concepts that include both positive and negative directions (+ and -). The X-axis direction, which is the direction of movement of the processing unit, is the left-right direction (right is the +X direction, left is the -X direction), and the Y-axis direction, which is the direction of media transport, is the front-back direction (rear is the +Y direction, forward is the -Y direction). Also, the upward direction in the Z-axis direction is the +Z direction, and the downward direction is the -Z direction. In this embodiment, a Z-axis movement mechanism changes the distance from the surface of the medium S to the processing unit 70 (the distance in the Z-axis direction relative to the surface of the medium S). This allows the processing unit 70 to be brought into contact with and away from the surface of the sheet-like medium S as appropriate, enabling any desired processing. In this embodiment, the medium processing device 100 is, for example, a cutting device that performs cutting on a sheet-like medium S. When the medium processing device 100 is a cutting device, the processing unit 70 that processes (cuts) the medium S includes a cutting blade 8, as will be described later. The embodiments described below are subject to various technically preferred limitations for carrying out the present invention, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments and illustrated examples.

[0010] As shown in Figure 2, the media processing apparatus 100 of this embodiment includes an MPU (Micro Processor Unit) 1 as a control unit, a storage unit 2, an operation unit 3, a communication unit 4, a media transport mechanism 5, a cutting mechanism 7, and the like. The various parts of the media processing apparatus 100 are connected via a bus 10. In addition, the media processing apparatus 100 may also be appropriately equipped with various detection units (sensors), indicator units, display units, etc.

[0011] The MPU1 controls various parts of the media processing apparatus 100. The MPU1 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and RAM (Random Access Memory) (neither of which are shown). The CPU reads a specified program from among the various programs stored in the memory unit 2, loads it into the RAM, and executes various processes in cooperation with the loaded program. The RAM is a volatile semiconductor memory, and a work area is formed in it for temporarily storing various data and programs. The memory unit 2 is a memory unit that can read and write information, such as flash memory. The memory unit 2 stores various data such as cut data and various programs (for example, a cutting processing program 21). The operation unit 3 has various buttons, etc., and accepts button press input from the user and outputs the operation information to the MPU1. The various buttons on the operation unit 3 include, for example, a start button for cutting, a pause button, a set button for media S, and a button for removing media S. The communication unit 4 is an interface for sending and receiving information with external devices such as a terminal device (not shown). The communication method of the communication unit 4 may be wireless communication such as Bluetooth, or it may be wired communication via a communication cable.

[0012] In this embodiment, the media transport mechanism 5 provided in the media processing apparatus 100 includes, for example, a pair of transport rollers 52 (see Figure 1) that extend in the X direction and transport the media S by gripping it, and a drive motor (Y-axis motor 51 in Figure 2) that rotates the transport rollers 52. In this embodiment, the media S is a sheet of paper or the like, and is supplied to the media transport mechanism 5 in a state where it is integrated with a backing M made of a resin such as polycarbonate by being attached or otherwise. Note that the backing is not shown in Figure 5, etc. The media S is not limited to paper, but can be any material that can be processed by the cutting blade 8, such as sheets of various resins, seals, leather, etc. Furthermore, the media S is not limited to perfectly flat materials, but can also be materials with slightly wavy surfaces or fine irregularities. The media processing apparatus 100 of this embodiment is capable of cutting various media S with different thicknesses and hardnesses without changing the cutting blade 8.

[0013] The cutting mechanism 7 in this embodiment includes a processing unit 70 and an X-axis motor 71 and a Z-axis motor 72 that operate the processing unit 70. In this embodiment, the processing unit 70 includes a cutting blade 8 for processing (cutting) the medium S and a cutting blade holder 73, as shown in Figure 3. The processing unit 70, including the cutting blade holder 73, is housed in a holder housing 74 (see Figure 1), and the X-axis motor 71 moves the processing unit 70, which is housed in the holder housing 74, along the X-axis direction according to instructions from the MPU 1. The Z-axis motor 72 is a motor for adjusting the distance (spacing) between the cutting blade 8 and the medium S to be cut by the cutting blade 8, according to instructions from the MPU 1, and drives the cutting blade 8 (in this embodiment, the entire holder housing 74 including the cutting blade 8) or the medium S in the Z-axis direction. The Z-axis motor 72 constitutes a lifting mechanism that moves the processing unit 70 between a contact position where the cutting blade 8 is in contact with the medium S (specifically, a position where the cutting blade 8 penetrates toward the lower surface of the medium S and can cut the medium S) and a separated position where the cutting blade 8 is separated from the medium S. Note that the force required to lower the cutting blade 8 in the lifting mechanism changes. That is, the force required for the cutting blade 8 to touch the medium S, the force required for the cutting blade 8 to penetrate the medium S, and the force required for the cutting blade 8 to break through the medium S and penetrate the backing paper M on the lower surface of the medium S are all different. The lifting mechanism includes the Z-axis motor 72 as well as an elastic member such as a spring interposed between the cutting blade holder 73 containing the cutting blade 8 and the Z-axis motor 72, and is configured to be adjustable to correspond to the force required to lower the cutting blade 8 as appropriate. By interposing a spring or the like, the movement of the Z-axis motor 72 and the movement of the cutting blade 8 can be controlled in a relationship that is not proportional. Thus, the cutting mechanism 7, following instructions from the MPU 1, moves the cutting blade 8 mounted on the cutting blade holder 73 in the X-axis and Z-axis directions by driving the X-axis motor 71 and the Z-axis motor 72. In this embodiment, the media transport mechanism 5 and the cutting mechanism 7 function as a relative movement mechanism that moves the processing unit 70 (the cutting blade 8 constituting the processing unit 70) relative to the media S. The position of the cutting blade 8 in the X-axis direction is detected by an origin position detection unit (not shown), and the detection result is output to the MPU 1.The MPU1 uses the detection result of whether or not the cutting blade 8 is at the origin position to appropriately drive the X-axis motor 71 of the cutting mechanism 7, etc., and control the position of the cutting blade 8 in the X-axis direction.

[0014] Here, the processing unit 70 in the embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 3 and 4. The cutting blade holder 73 is a holder whose axis center s1 (see Figure 3) is substantially perpendicular to the plane of the medium S. The cutting blade holder 73 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, for example, and when a relative force is applied from the outside, it can rotate freely in the XY axis plane around the axis center s1, as shown by the arrow in Figure 3. The cutting blade holder 73 is provided with a support shaft 75 that is perpendicular to the relative movement direction of the cutting blade 8 during cutting of the medium S by the cutting blade 8 and extends along the medium S. The support shaft 75 is, for example, the shaft of a fixing screw. The cutting blade 8 mounted on the cutting blade holder 73 is used to process (cut) the sheet-like medium S by pressing it against it, and is a cutting blade made of, for example, metal. As shown in Figure 4, the cutting blade 8 includes a locking portion 81 and a blade portion 85 connected to the medium side (-Z direction) of the locking portion 81. The locking portion 81 has a locking hole 82 formed approximately at the center of the width direction of the cutting blade 8, which locks onto the support shaft 75 of the cutting blade holder 73. The cutting blade 8 is locked to the cutting blade holder 73 in a state where it can rotate (oscillate) around the support shaft 75 by inserting the support shaft 75, such as a screw, into the locking hole 82.

[0015] When the relative direction of movement of the cutting blade 8 is defined as the cutting direction D1, the blade portion 85 is longer than the locking portion 81 in the forward and backward directions of the cutting direction D1 (in Figure 4, the +D1 direction and the -D1 direction). With the locking hole 82 as the center, the shoulder portion on the -D1 direction side is defined as the first shoulder portion 86 in Figure 4, and the shoulder portion on the +D1 direction side is defined as the second shoulder portion 87. A coil spring 76 is provided inside the cutting blade holder 73 so as to contact the first shoulder portion 86 on the -D1 direction side from the +Z direction. For example, as shown in Figure 6, during the processing operation of the processing section 70 (cutting operation in this embodiment), the cutting blade 8 rotates around the support shaft 75 in the opposite direction to the relative direction of movement (cutting direction D1) due to the reaction force from the medium S, and tilts with respect to the axis center s1 of the cutting blade holder 73. The "reaction force from the medium S" is the "cutting load" that the blade portion 85 of the cutting blade 8 receives from the medium S when it strikes the medium S during the cutting operation. The coil spring 76 is an elastic member that biases the cutting blade 8, which has rotated in a first direction d2 (first direction d2 in Figure 6) around the support shaft 75 due to the reaction force from the medium S, in a direction opposite to the rotation direction (first direction d2 in Figure 6) (second direction d3 in Figure 6). The degree of biasing force of the coil spring 76 is a matter that is determined as appropriate, but the coil spring 76 shall have a biasing force that is sufficient to return the cutting blade 8 to a substantially perpendicular position (steady state of the cutting blade 8) without tilting with respect to the plane of the medium S, at least after the cutting blade 8 has rotated in the rotation direction (first direction d2 in Figure 6) and is no longer receiving a reaction force from the medium S.

[0016] Furthermore, within the cutting blade holder 73 of the processing section 70, a restricting section 77 is provided on the opposite side of the coil spring 76, with the support shaft 75 in between. The restricting section 77 restricts the rotation of the cutting blade 8 in the second direction d3. When the cutting blade 8 is not rotating, it contacts the second shoulder portion 87 on the +D1 direction side of the blade portion 85 from the +Z direction, acting as a stopper to restrict the rotation of the cutting blade 8 in the +D1 direction (second direction d3). When the second shoulder portion 87 of the cutting blade 8 abuts against the restricting section 77, it becomes approximately perpendicular to the surface of the medium S (for example, the state shown in Figure 3, a steady state), and cannot rotate any further in the +D1 direction (second direction d3). In other words, the range of rotation of the cutting blade 8 in the +D1 direction (second direction d3) is restricted by the restricting part 77. For example, even if the biasing force of the coil spring 76 is slightly too strong, when the second shoulder portion 87 hits the restricting part 77, the cutting blade 8 cannot be rotated any further in the +D1 direction.

[0017] Furthermore, the cutting blade 8 has a notch at the cutting edge cp side of the blade portion 85 that gradually moves away from the medium S side from the -D1 direction to the +D1 direction. When the cutting blade 8 cuts the medium S, the cutting blade 8 cuts in the direction of the notch at the cutting edge 85 (the "+D1 direction side" in Figure 4).

[0018] Next, the operation of the media processing device 100 will be described. When performing a processing (cutting) operation with the media processing device 100 according to this embodiment, first, the control unit MPU1 operates the Z-axis motor 72 to raise the processing unit 70 to a height where the cutting blade 8 does not come into contact with the surface of the media S, and in this state, operates the X-axis motor 71 and / or the Y-axis motor 51 to move the processing unit 70 to the starting position of the cutting operation. Once the processing unit 70 has moved to the starting position of the cutting operation, the Z-axis motor 72 operates again to lower the height of the processing unit 70 to a height where the cutting blade 8 penetrates the surface of the media S. As a preliminary step before penetrating the surface of the media S with the cutting blade 8, a cutting edge adjustment operation may be performed to change the orientation of the cutting edge cp of the cutting blade 8 by rotating it around the axis center s1 of the cutting blade holder 73 while the cutting edge cp of the cutting blade 8 is lightly touching the object to be cut.

[0019] When it is lowered to a position where the cutting blade 8 pierces the surface of the medium S at the start position of the cutting operation, the cutting blade 8 pierces the medium S at an acute angle (see FIG. 5). Then, the MPU 1 appropriately operates the X-axis motor 71 and the Y-axis motor 51 to relatively move the cutting blade 8 with respect to the medium S, and advances the medium S with the cutting blade 8 from the start position to the end position of the cutting operation.

[0020] When the cutting operation is started, the cutting blade 8 rotates about the support shaft 75 in the direction opposite to the cutting direction D1 (+ D1 direction) (- D1 direction side, first direction d2) as the blade portion 85 receives the reaction force from the medium S, and as shown in FIG. 6, advances in the cutting direction D1 (+ D1 direction) in an inclined state. Therefore, during the cutting operation, the angle difference between the cutting blade 8 and the medium S, that is, the angle difference between the hypotenuse (the surface on the cutting side) of the blade portion 85 and the surface of the medium S, becomes small, and the resistance becomes small, so that it can smoothly advance. Note that a coil spring 76 abuts against the first shoulder 86 on the - D1 direction side of the blade portion 85 of the cutting blade 8 from the + Z direction, and is biased in the + D1 direction (second direction d3) by the coil spring 76. Therefore, the cutting blade 8 is not pushed by the medium S and escapes too much to the - D1 direction side, and can cut while pressing the cutting edge cp against the medium S.

[0021] Incidentally, the degree to which the cutting blade 8 tilts in the -D1 direction during the cutting operation varies depending on the thickness and hardness of the medium S, etc. At the blade portion 85 of the cutting blade 8, it is a part around the cutting edge cp that cuts the medium S. The MPU1 that controls the cutting operation grasps the position of the cutting edge cp of the cutting blade 8 in relation to the axis center s1 (see FIG. 3) of the cutting blade holder 73 that supports the cutting blade 8 and performs cutting control. As shown in FIG. 3, the cutting edge cp of the cutting blade 8 is at a position a predetermined distance away from the axis center s1 of the cutting blade holder 73. The MPU1 has the distance from the axis center s1 to the cutting edge cp (the distance in the steady state where the cutting blade 8 is not tilted as shown in FIG. 3) as the offset value of, and grasps the coordinates of the cutting edge cp. However, when the cutting operation is started and the cutting blade 8 tilts, the offset value of, which is the distance from the axis center s1 to the cutting edge cp, also changes. The MPU1 refers to the change in this offset value of, calculates the coordinates of the cutting edge cp when the cutting operation of the medium S actually starts with the cutting blade 8 tilted, and appropriately corrects the position coordinates of the cutting edge cp to reflect it in the control of the cutting position by the cutting blade 8. As a method of reflecting the control of the cutting position by the cutting blade 8 by referring to the change in the offset value, for example, as a first method, it is conceivable to directly or indirectly detect the tilt of the cutting blade 8 using the aforementioned detection unit (sensor) provided in the device and reflect it in the position control by the main body MPU1. Also, for example, as a second method, it is conceivable to register in advance the type and material (thickness and hardness) of the medium S to be cut, and adjust the offset value and correct the cutting data according to the object to be cut (medium S) when creating the cutting data. Incidentally, in the case of the latter method, instead of feedback control while observing the position by the detection unit (sensor), it is handled by correcting the cutting data in advance according to the material of the medium S.

[0022] When the cutting blade 8 has cut through the medium S to the end of its cutting operation, the MPU1 operates the Z-axis motor 72 to raise the processing unit 70 to a height where the cutting blade 8 does not come into contact with the surface of the medium S. As the cutting blade 8 moves away from the medium S, it is no longer subjected to a reaction force from the medium S, and the cutting blade 8 is pushed back to the second direction d3 by the biasing force of the coil spring 76, returning to a steady state position where it is not tilted in the -D1 direction (first direction d2). In this state, the restricting part 77 comes into contact with the second shoulder portion 87 on the +D1 direction side of the blade portion 85 of the cutting blade 8 from the +Z direction, acting as a stopper and restricting the rotation of the cutting blade 8 in the +D1 direction (second direction d3). As a result, even when the biasing force of the coil spring 76 is strong, the cutting blade 8 is prevented from tilting in the +D1 direction (second direction d3), and the tilt of the cutting blade 8 (rotation around the support axis 75) can be kept within a specific range. Furthermore, in cases where the cutting operation does not involve drawing a circle, such as when the end and start positions coincide (for example, when cutting a straight line), there is a risk that a clean cut surface cannot be created at the end of the operation. For this reason, at the end of the cutting operation, it is preferable that the MPU1 operates the Z-axis motor 72 to raise the processing unit 70 to a height where the cutting blade 8 does not contact the surface of the medium S, then rotate the blade tip cp 180 degrees around the axis center s1, and lower the height of the cutting blade 8 again so that the blade tip cp pierces the surface of the medium S. By performing such an operation, a cut surface perpendicular to the medium S can be created even at the end of the cutting operation, enabling high-quality cutting.

[0023] As described above, the media processing apparatus 100 in the embodiment includes a processing unit 70 that processes a sheet-like medium S by pressing it against the medium S, and a cutting mechanism 7 and a medium transport mechanism 5 as relative movement mechanisms that move the processing unit 70 relative to the medium S. The processing unit 70 includes a cutting blade 8 for processing the medium S, a cutting blade holder 73 whose axis center s1 is substantially perpendicular to the plane of the medium S, and which supports the cutting blade 8 so as to be rotatable around a support shaft 75 that is perpendicular to the relative movement direction of the cutting blade 8 during cutting of the medium S by the cutting blade 8 and extends along the medium S, and a coil spring 76 as an elastic member that biases the cutting blade 8, which has rotated in a first direction d2 around the support shaft 75 due to the reaction force from the medium S, in a second direction d3 opposite to the direction of rotation during the processing operation of the processing unit 70.

[0024] When the cutting blade 8 cuts the medium S, the cutting blade 8 strikes the medium S, receiving a reaction force (cutting load) from the medium S, causing the cutting blade 8 to tilt in a direction away from the medium (direction -D1, first direction d2, shown in Figure 6). At this time, in the medium processing apparatus 100 of the embodiment, the coil spring 76 biases the cutting blade 8 in a direction that pushes the cutting blade 8 back (second direction d3). As a result, the cutting blade 8 is pressed against the medium S at an appropriate angle where the reaction force (cutting load) from the medium S and the biasing force from the coil spring 76 are balanced, allowing it to cut smoothly. The reaction force (cutting load) from the medium S varies depending on the thickness and hardness of the medium S. For example, in the case of a thick or hard medium S, the cutting load on the cutting blade 8 is large, causing the cutting blade 8 to rotate significantly around the support axis in the first direction d2, and the tilt also becomes larger. Furthermore, in the case of thin media S, the cutting load on the cutting blade 8 is small, and the tilt when it strikes the media S is also small. In this respect, the coil spring 76 biases the cutting blade 8 in the second direction d3, so that regardless of the type of media S, a stable and accurate cutting operation can be performed in all cases.

[0025] The processing unit 70 is further equipped with a Z-axis motor 51 that constitutes a lifting mechanism that moves the processing unit 70 between a contact position where the cutting blade 8 is in contact with the medium S and a separated position where the cutting blade 8 is separated from the medium S. This allows for smooth movement, for example, when moving to the starting position of the cutting operation, as the cutting blade is freed from the reaction force (cutting load) from the medium S. Also, at the start of cutting, the cutting blade 8 is lowered to a position where it contacts the medium S, allowing the cutting blade 8 to be thrust into the medium S almost perpendicularly.

[0026] The machining section 70 is provided with a restricting section 77 on the opposite side of the coil spring 76, which is an elastic member, across the support shaft 75, to restrict the rotation of the cutting blade 8 in the second direction d3. As a result, the cutting blade cannot rotate in the first direction d2 beyond the restricting section 77. Therefore, even if the biasing force of the coil spring is strong, the cutting blade 8 will not rotate beyond a steady state where it is approximately vertical, and will remain stable.

[0027] The cutting blade holder 73 is rotatably supported around the axial center s1 of the holder. The ability of the cutting blade holder 73 to rotate freely allows the cutting blade 8 supported by the cutting blade holder 73 to cut smoothly in the XY plane.

[0028] Although the present invention has been described in detail based on embodiments above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be modified without departing from its essence. For example, in the above embodiments, the media processing apparatus 100 is an example of a cutting device equipped with a processing section 70 including a cutting blade 8, but the media processing apparatus 100 is not limited to a cutting device. It can be broadly applied to an apparatus that has a processing section that performs processing operations other than cutting and applies various processing to a medium S.

[0029] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the case in which the X-axis direction is the width direction of the device and the Y-direction is the depth direction of the device was illustrated, but the X-axis direction and Y-axis direction are not limited to these. Also, in the above embodiment, the case in which the processing unit 70 moves along the X-axis direction and the medium S is transported along the Y-axis direction was illustrated, but for example, the processing unit 70 may be configured to move in either the X-axis direction or the Y-axis direction, or the medium S may be transported in either the X-axis direction or the Y-axis direction.

[0030] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the example given was that the elastic member that biases the cutting blade 8, which rotates in a first direction d2 around the support shaft 75, in a second direction d3 opposite to the rotation direction (first direction d2) is a coil spring 76. However, the elastic member is not limited to a coil spring. The elastic member can be any spring that can bias the cutting blade 8 in the second direction d3, and may be a spring other than a coil spring, such as a leaf spring or a torsion spring, or an elastic body made of resin or the like. If the elastic member is a torsion spring, for example, the annular coil portion can be passed through the support shaft 75, and one arm of the torsion spring can be brought into contact with the cutting blade holder 73, and the other arm can be brought into contact with the first shoulder portion 86 of the cutting blade 8, thereby achieving a similar effect.

[0031] Furthermore, while the above embodiment illustrates a case where the coil spring 76 (elastic member) and the restricting part 77 contact the shoulder portion (first shoulder portion 86 and second shoulder portion 87) of the cutting blade 8, the coil spring 76 (elastic member) and the restricting part 77 only need to be in a position that can control the tilt of the cutting blade 8, and the contact between the coil spring 76 (elastic member) and the restricting part 77 is not limited to the shoulder portion of the cutting blade 85. In addition, the coil spring 76 (elastic member) and the restricting part 77 may be configured to act indirectly on the cutting blade 8 via various plate materials or the like.

[0032] Furthermore, while the above embodiments disclose an example in which flash memory or the like is used as a computer-readable medium for the program according to the present invention, the invention is not limited to this example. Portable recording media such as CD-ROMs can also be used as other computer-readable media. In addition, carrier waves can also be used as a medium for providing the program data according to the present invention via a communication line.

[0033] Furthermore, the specific details such as the configuration, arrangement, order, and numerical values ​​of the processes shown in the above embodiments can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Moreover, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, but includes the scope of the invention as described in the claims and its equivalents. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0034] 5...Media transport mechanism, 7...Cutting mechanism, 8...Cutting blade, 70...Processing section, 73...Cutting blade holder, 75...Support shaft, 76...Coil spring (elastic member), 100...Media processing device, d2...First direction, d3...Second direction, S...Media

Claims

1. A processing unit that presses against a sheet-like medium to process the medium, The processing unit is provided with a relative movement mechanism that moves the processing unit relative to the medium, The aforementioned processing section is A cutting blade for processing the aforementioned medium, A holder whose axis center is substantially perpendicular to the medium plane, the cutting blade holder which supports the cutting blade so as to be rotatable about a support axis that is perpendicular to the relative direction of movement of the cutting blade during cutting of the medium by the cutting blade and extends along the medium, The processing unit includes an elastic member that, during the processing operation of the processing unit, biases the cutting blade, which rotates in a first direction around the support axis due to the reaction force from the medium, in a second direction opposite to the direction of rotation, in a second direction. Media processing equipment.

2. The processing unit further comprises a lifting mechanism that moves the processing unit between a contact position where the cutting blade is in contact with the medium and a separated position where the cutting blade is separated from the medium. The media processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The processing section is provided with a restricting portion on the opposite side of the elastic member, with respect to the support shaft, which restricts the rotation of the cutting blade in the second direction. The media processing apparatus according to claim 1.

4. The cutting blade holder is supported so as to be rotatable about the axis center of the holder. The media processing apparatus according to claim 1.

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