Cutting mechanism

Abstract

To provide a printer which can solve clogging of a cut medium, such as a label sheet, easily.SOLUTION: A movable blade 189 and a fixed blade 33 are installed facing each other at a cuttable position where a label sheet R is cut. The movable blade 189 is attached to a movable blade unit (a rotational movement mechanism) 180 which rotates around a shaft support part 165. The fixed blade 33 is attached to a separation part (a linear movement mechanism) 20 which linearly moves. When the separation part 20 attached with the fixed blade 33 is moved from the cuttable position, the movable blade unit 180 attached with the movable blade 189 becomes able to move from the cuttable position. The separation part 20 linearly moves with a roll storage part 29 in which a label roll 27 of the label sheet R is stored.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention is suitable for use in the cutter mechanism of a label printer, etc. cutting mechanism This is regarding. [Background technology]

[0002] A label printer is configured to use a printing means to print on label paper pulled out from a label roll, and then use a cutting mechanism to cut the printed label paper. Here, the printing device of the label printer is configured to, for example, drive the platen roller while the label paper is sandwiched between a platen roller and a print head, thereby transporting the label paper toward the label outlet while simultaneously printing with the print head. The cutting mechanism is configured, for example, to have a fixed blade and a movable blade facing each other slightly downstream of the printing means (its label outlet), pass the printed label paper between them, and move the movable blade in the direction of the fixed blade to cut the printed label by a shearing action. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-107279 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In a label printer equipped with the above-mentioned conventional cutting mechanism, there are cases where the movable blade can get wrapped around the label paper as it moves toward the fixed blade, causing the label paper to become jammed inside the cutting mechanism.

[0005] Conventionally, when such a paper jam occurs, a maintenance movable blade drive mechanism that is installed in advance near the movable blade is manually driven to move the movable blade in a direction away from the fixed blade, thereby increasing the gap between the movable blade and the fixed blade, thereby removing the label paper that caused the jam and allowing the machine to be restored to its original state.

[0006] However, the task of clearing a jammed label paper using the above-mentioned conventional method takes time, resulting in reduced printing efficiency.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned points, and its object is to easily eliminate paper jams of cut media such as label paper. cutting mechanism The purpose of this invention is to provide [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The cutting mechanism according to the present invention is configured such that a pair of blades are disposed opposite each other at a cutting position where the medium to be cut is cut, the pair of blades are attached to different moving mechanisms, and when one moving mechanism to which one of the blades is attached is moved from the cutting position, the other moving mechanism to which the other blade is attached is movable from the cutting position, one of the pair of blades is a movable blade, and the moving mechanism supporting the movable blade is a rotational moving mechanism, and the rotational moving mechanism is provided with a maintenance movable blade drive mechanism and a manual operation knob for the maintenance movable blade drive mechanism. The other of the pair of blade bodies is a fixed blade, and the fixed blade is arranged to be swingable within a predetermined range by a fixed blade movement restriction hole provided in a side plate of the other moving mechanism other than the moving mechanism supporting the movable blade. It is characterized by the fact that Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, the blade body is configured so that simply by moving one of the blade bodies from its cutting position, the other blade body can also be moved from its cutting position. Therefore, even if a problem such as a paper jam in the medium to be cut occurs, the pair of blade bodies can be easily separated by moving both of them, and the problem such as the paper jam can be quickly resolved. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is an oblique view of a label printer (measured base label printer) 1. [Diagram 2] 1 is a schematic side view showing the internal structure of a printing device 10. FIG. [Diagram 3] 2 is a schematic side view showing the internal structure of the printing device 10 with the separation unit 20 pulled out. FIG. [Figure 4] 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the internal structure of the printing device 10 with the separation unit 20 pulled out. FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the fixed blade unit 30. [Figure 6] 2 is a schematic side view of the device body side member 100. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the apparatus main body side member 100 (illustration of the printing unit 220 is omitted). [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the apparatus main body side member 100 (illustration of the printing unit 220 is omitted). [Figure 9] 13 is an enlarged schematic side view of a main portion near a movable blade 189 and a fixed blade 33. FIG. [Figure 10] 13 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the fixed blade 33 and the movable blade 189. FIG. [Figure 11] 13 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the fixed blade 33 and the movable blade 189. FIG. [Figure 12] 13 is an enlarged schematic side view of a main portion near a movable blade 189 and a fixed blade 33. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a label printer (measuring and pricing machine, product data processing device) 1 configured using a printing device equipped with a cutting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. This label printer 1 is a measuring and pricing label printer, and is installed, for example, in the back yard of a store, and is a device that issues labels to be affixed to various products or product containers. As shown in the figure, the label printer 1 is configured by installing a display means 5 and a key operation unit 7 on the top surface of a base unit 3, and also arranging a printing device 10 on the front surface of the base unit 3, and further connecting a scale unit 9 for measuring products by a cable (which may be wireless). Then, after performing desired settings (for example, setting the processing date, expiration date, etc.) using the display means 5 and the key operation unit 7, the product that has been processed, arranged, and packaged is placed on the scale unit 9 and weighed, the price, etc. are calculated, and the content amount, price, etc. are displayed on the display means 5. Once this weighing is complete, the desired printing is performed and a label (in this example, a linerless label) that has been cut to a specified length is issued (discharged) from the label issuing port 11 of the printing device 10 by, for example, pressing the print key on the key operation unit 7.

[0016] The printer 10 has a label issuing port 11 and is provided with an unlocking lever 13 at its bottom for pulling out the separator 20 of the printer 10 to the front. When replacing the label roll 27 for label printing, which will be described later, or when the cutting mechanism, which will be described later, is jammed and needs to be restored, the unlocking lever 13 is lifted upward to release the lock, and the separator 20 is pulled out to the front in a straight line. After replacing the label roll or restoring the paper jam, the separator 20 is pushed in to lock the unlocking lever 13, and the separator 20 returns to the original state shown in FIG. 1. In the following description, the direction in which the separator 20 is pulled out is referred to as the front (front), and the direction in which it is pushed in is referred to as the rear (rear).

[0017] FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing the internal structure of the printing device 10, FIG. 3 is a schematic side view showing the internal structure of the printing device 10 with the separation unit 20 pulled out, and FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing the internal structure of the printing device 10 with the separation unit 20 pulled out. As shown in these figures, the printing device 10 is configured to include the separation unit 20 located at the bottom and the device body side member 100 located at the top. The printing device 10 is configured by storing and installing the separation unit 20 and the device body side member 100 in a recess (its inner wall) formed in the front surface of the base unit 3 of the label printer 1. Hereinafter, the recess (its inner wall) formed in the front surface of the base unit 3 will be referred to as the device body side member (fixed side member) of the printing device 10 (or label printer 1).

[0018] The separation unit 20 is installed on a plate-shaped mounting body 21 attached to a member on the device main body side via a slider mechanism 23. The slider mechanism 23 is a mechanism that allows the separation unit 20 to move (slide) freely in a linear direction (horizontally in this example) relative to the mounting body 21 over a predetermined distance.

[0019] The separating section 20 is provided with a roll storage section 29 for storing a label roll 27 on which a long, strip-shaped label is wound, at the upper rear part of a substantially rectangular frame 25, and a platen roller 31 and a blade (hereinafter referred to as "fixed blade") 33 are provided at the upper front part of the frame 25. The platen roller 31 is rotatably supported by left and right side plates 35, 37 that constitute a part of the frame 25, and is configured to be rotatable by a drive mechanism (not shown). The fixed blade 33 is configured with a blade 41 provided on its upper edge, and is provided on the front side of the platen roller 31 (the discharge side of the label paper R, the downstream side, described below). The blade 41 is linear (horizontal) and is provided along the longitudinal direction of the platen roller 31. A fixed blade movement restriction hole 67 is provided through one of the side plates 35, into which a movement restriction part 39 of the fixed blade 33, described below, is inserted. The fixed blade movement restricting hole 67 is a through hole having a substantially fan-like shape, with its front edge forming a contact portion 69. Furthermore, protrusions 36, 36 protrude from the front portions of the upper edges of the side plates 35, 37, respectively, and their rear vertical edges form guide portions 32, 32.

[0020] 5 is a perspective view of the fixed blade unit 30, which is composed of the fixed blade 33 and the support 43 that supports it. As shown in the figure, the fixed blade 33 is made of metal and formed into a substantially rectangular plate, with the blade 41 provided on its upper edge. A small protruding movement restricting portion 39 protrudes from one of the left and right sides of the fixed blade 33. Meanwhile, the support 43 is configured to include a fixed blade holder 45 to which the fixed blade 33 (its rear surface) is attached, a mounting base 49 that pivotally supports the fixed blade holder 45 so that it can swing freely, and a biasing means 51 that resiliently urges the fixed blade holder 45 forward.

[0021] The fixed blade holder 45 is made of synthetic resin formed into a generally plate-like shape, and a shaft portion 47 consisting of a pair of protrusions protrudes from both left and right sides near the bottom side. The fixed blade 33 is fixed to the front surface of the fixed blade holder 45 by fixing means such as a screw 53, and at that time, the blade 41 of the fixed blade 33 protrudes upward from the upper side of the fixed blade holder 45.

[0022] The mounting base 49 is formed by molding synthetic resin into a substantially plate-like shape, with a pair of pivot support projections 57 protruding from the upper surface of both left and right sides, and each pivot support projection 57 is provided with a circular concave pivot support portion 59 (only the pivot support portion 59 on the front side is shown in FIG. 5). Also, in the center of the upper surface of the mounting base 49, a pair of groove-shaped spring end locking portions 61 for locking the left and right spring end portions 64 of the biasing means 51 described below are provided.

[0023] The biasing means 51 is composed of two coil portions 63, a spring central portion 65 formed by bending the central connecting portion of both coil portions 63 into a U-shape and protruding radially outward, and a pair of spring end portions 64 formed by protruding radially outward from the outer ends of both coil portions 63.

[0024] Then, both shaft portions 47 of the fixed blade holder 45 to which the fixed blade 33 is attached are rotatably engaged with both shaft support portions 59 of the mounting base 49, and a pair of spring end portions 64 of the biasing means 51 are locked to the spring end locking portions 61 of the mounting base 49. As a result, the fixed blade 33 is supported pivotally so as to be able to swing about the shaft portions 47, and is biased forward (in the direction in which the separating portion 20 separates) by the biasing means 51.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 4, the fixed blade unit 30 is attached to the upper surface of the frame 25 (between the side plates 35, 37) in front of the platen roller 31 by a fixing means (not shown). At this time, the movement restricting portion 39 of the fixed blade 33 is inserted into the fixed blade movement restricting hole 67 provided in one of the side plates 35 of the frame 25, thereby allowing the fixed blade 33 to move (swing) in the movement direction of the separating section 20 within a predetermined range. In addition, the front surface of the movement restricting portion 39 of the fixed blade 33 elastically contacts the abutment portion 69 of the fixed blade movement restricting hole 67 due to the biasing force of the biasing means 51. In other words, the fixed blade 33 is restricted from moving forward by the restricting means formed of the abutment portion 69 of the fixed blade movement restricting hole 67 and the movement restricting portion 39.

[0026] The device body side member 100 is configured by attaching a movable blade unit 180 by a pair of supports 160 to the front of a plate-like mounting body 110 attached to the device body side, and attaching a printing unit 220 below the mounting body 110. Here, Fig. 6 is a schematic side view of the device body side member 100, Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the device body side member 100 seen from a different angle (however, the printing unit 220 is omitted), and Fig. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the device body side member 100 shown in Fig. 7.

[0027] As shown in these figures, the mounting body 110 is configured by bending four sides of a metal plate in a generally flat rectangular shape downward to form side walls 111, 113, 115, and 117. A rectangular opening 119 is provided in the front side wall 111, and a locking portion 121 protrudes upward from the center of the lower side of the inner periphery. A rectangular opening 123 is provided in the center of the lower part of the rear side wall 113. These locking portions 121 and opening 123 are formed to lock the printing unit 220. A pair of rectangular openings 127 are provided on the left and right sides of the upper surface of the mounting body 110, and a tongue-shaped spring receiving portion 129 protruding from the front side of the inner periphery is bent at its base so as to face downward and further diagonally forward. A first support locking portion 131 and a second support locking portion 133 are formed on the left and right outer sides of both openings 127. The first support locking portion 131 and the second support locking portion 133 are formed on the same straight line (the linear movement direction of the separation portion 20). The first support locking portion 131 is substantially convex in shape, and is formed by connecting a narrow support support portion 137 extending in the linear direction to the front side of a wide spring insertion portion 135 extending in the linear direction. The second support locking portion 133 is substantially convex in shape, and is formed by connecting a narrow support support portion 141 extending in the linear direction to the front side of a wide insertion portion 139 whose one end reaches the outer periphery of the mounting body 110. The spring insertion portion 135 and the insertion portion 139 are formed to have the same width dimension, and the width dimensions of both support support portions 137, 141 are formed to be the same.

[0028] The movable blade unit 180 is formed in a substantially rectangular box shape, and a pair of supports 160 are rotatably attached to both side portions of the movable blade unit 180. The support 160 is a synthetic resin molded product, and is molded in a substantially L-shape as shown in FIG. 8. The front portion of the support 160 is the movable blade side support portion 161, and the rear portion is the device body side support portion 163. The movable blade side support portion 161 is plate-shaped, and its upper portion is rotatably attached to the shaft support portion 165 at the upper portion of the left and right side portions of the movable blade unit 180. The device body side support portion 163 is substantially rod-shaped and installed horizontally, and a pair of support holders 167, 169 are protruding from its upper surface. A concave spring insertion portion 164 is provided between the pair of support holders 167, 169 on the upper surface of the device body side support portion 163. The front support holder 167 is T-shaped, and is configured by providing a wide stopper portion 173 on the upper portion of a narrow guide insertion portion 171. The width of the guide insertion portion 171 is formed to be a width dimension that allows it to be inserted into the support support portion 137 of the first support engagement portion 131, and the width of the retaining portion 173 is formed to be a width dimension that allows it to be inserted into the spring insertion portion 135 of the first support engagement portion 131. A spring support portion 175 consisting of a protrusion is provided on the rear surface side of the guide insertion portion 171. The rear support holding portion 169 is also T-shaped, and is configured by providing a large retaining portion 179 on the upper portion of the small guide insertion portion 177. The width of the guide insertion portion 177 is formed to be a width dimension that allows it to be inserted into the support support portion 141 of the second support engagement portion 133, and the width of the retaining portion 179 is formed to be a width dimension that allows it to be inserted into the insertion portion 139 of the second support engagement portion 133. The end face of the device body side support part 163 on the movable blade unit 180 side, which protrudes towards the opposing surface of the pair of movable blade side support parts 161, serves as a movable blade unit abutment part 166.

[0029] The movable blade unit 180 is configured by attaching a substantially U-shaped mounting plate 183 to the rear surface of a substantially rectangular box-shaped drive mechanism 181, as shown in FIG. 4, for example. The drive mechanism 181 exposes a part of the movable blade drive motor 185 housed therein to the front surface, and also exposes a part of a manual operation knob 187 of the maintenance movable blade drive mechanism housed therein to the front surface. A single blade body (hereinafter referred to as "movable blade") 189 protrudes from the lower surface of the drive mechanism 181 along its longitudinal direction. As shown in FIG. 9 described below, the movable blade 189 is attached to a movable blade holding member 191 protruding from the lower surface of the drive mechanism 181 by a screw 192, and moves up and down by driving the movable blade drive motor 185. The lower end edge of the movable blade 189 is formed in a linear shape that is inclined obliquely as shown in FIG. 4, and a blade 193 is formed on this lower end edge. One end of the blade 193 (the end on the side that protrudes most downward) is provided with a small protruding blade guide portion 195 that extends downward further than the blade 193 and curves forward. The mounting plate 183 is configured by bending both left and right portions of a substantially rectangular metal plate forward to provide side portions 197. The lower portion of the mounting plate 183 protrudes downward further than the drive mechanism portion 181, and the inner portions of the left and right side portions 197 at the lower front portion form guided portions 199 that abut against the guide portion 32 of the separation portion 20.

[0030] The printing unit 220 is configured by mounting a print head (hereinafter referred to as a "thermal head") 223 and the like on the underside of a mounting plate 221, as shown in, for example, FIG. 4 and FIG. 6. In reality, various parts necessary for printing other than the thermal head 223 are also mounted, but for convenience of explanation, their description is omitted. The mounting plate 221 is configured by bending both left and right sides of a metal plate body in a substantially flat rectangular shape downward to form a side wall 225 (only the side wall 215 on the front side is shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 6). A locking piece 227 bent upward into an inverted L shape is provided in the substantially center of the outer periphery on the front side of the mounting plate 221, and a pair of spring receiving pieces 229 bent diagonally forward and upward are provided on both the left and right sides of the locking piece 227. The locking piece 227 is formed to have a shape and dimensions that allow it to be inserted into the opening 119 of the mounting body 110, and an opening (not shown) for locking the locking part 121 of the mounting body 110 is formed inside the locking piece 227. Further, a locking portion 231 that protrudes convexly and is inserted into and locked in the opening 123 of the mounting body 110 is formed approximately at the center of the outer periphery on the rear side of the mounting plate 221. The thermal head 223 is approximately rod-shaped (block-shaped) and has a length that spans approximately the entire length of the platen roller 31, with the underside thereof forming the thermal head portion.

[0031] Next, a method of assembling the device body side member 100 will be described. First, the device body side support parts 163 of the pair of supports 160 shown in FIG. 8 are arranged on the underside of the mounting body 110, and at that time, the respective retaining parts 173, 179 of the support 160 are inserted into the spring insertion part 135 and the insertion part 139 of the mounting body 110, respectively, and then the support 160 is slid forward to insert the respective guide insertion parts 171, 177 of the support 160 into the respective support support parts 137, 141 of the support 160. Then, the coil spring 240, which is the biasing means, is inserted into each spring insertion part 135 of the mounting body 110 (and the spring insertion part 164 of the support 160), and one end is inserted into each spring support part 175 for support. This results in the state shown in FIG. 7. At this time, the pair of coil springs 240 resiliently spring in a direction separating one end face of the support holding portion 167 from the rear edge of the spring insertion portion 135, thereby urging the pair of supports 160 and the movable blade unit 180 forward relative to the mounting body 110.

[0032] Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the pair of spring receiving portions 129 of the mounting body 110 are inserted into one end of a pair of coil springs 250, which are biasing members, and fixed. Then, the printing unit 220 is disposed under the mounting body 110, and the locking piece 227 of the printing unit 220 is inserted into the opening 119 of the mounting body 110 to lock the locking portion 121 into the opening (not shown) of the locking piece 227, and the locking portion 231 of the printing unit 220 is locked into the opening 123 of the mounting body 110. At this time, the other end of the coil spring 250 elastically contacts the spring receiving piece 229, and the printing unit 220 is biased diagonally downward toward the front relative to the mounting body 110. This completes the assembly of the device main body side member 100. Note that the above assembly procedure is one example, and it goes without saying that various other different assembly procedures may be used for assembly.

[0033] The mounting body 21 attached to the bottom of the separating unit 20 is then fixed to the bottom inner surface of a recess provided in the front surface of the base unit 3 of the label printer 1, and the mounting body 110 of the device main body member 100 is fixed to the top inner surface of the recess, completing the construction of the printing device 10. Figure 2 shows the separating unit 20 housed in the recess of the label printer 1 and closed, i.e., in a printable state, while Figures 3 and 4 show the separating unit 20 pulled out of the recess of the label printer 1, i.e., when the label roll 27 is to be replaced or when the cutting mechanism, which is made up of the fixed blade 33, movable blade 189, etc., has become clogged and needs to be restored.

[0034] 9 is an enlarged schematic side view of the main parts near the movable blade 189 and the fixed blade 33 in the printable state of FIG. 2 (however, the printing unit 220 is omitted). At this time, the movable blade 189 and the fixed blade 33 are in a cutting position where they can cut the label paper. As shown in the figure, the rear surface of the mounting plate 183 of the movable blade unit 180 abuts against the movable blade unit abutment parts 166 (see FIGS. 7 and 8) of the support body 160, so that the rearward rotation of the movable blade unit 180 is restricted. At the same time, the pair of left and right guide parts 32 of the separation part 20 abuts against the pair of left and right guided parts 199 of the mounting plate 183, so that the forward rotation of the movable blade unit 180 is restricted and the movable blade unit 180 and the support body 160 are moved slightly rearward with respect to the mounting body 110 against the biasing force of the coil spring 240. That is, the movable blade unit 180 and the support 160 (i.e., the movable blade 189) are pressurized by the coil spring 240. This pressurization allows the relative position of the movable blade 189 to be accurately adjusted with respect to the separating section 20, even if the relative position of the separating section 20 with respect to the device body side member 100 is not accurately adjusted. Meanwhile, as described above, the fixed blade 33 has its movement restricting portion 39 elastically contacted with the abutting portion 69 of the fixed blade movement restricting hole 67 by the biasing means 51. That is, the fixed blade 33 is always biased to a position where it abuts with the abutting portion 69 of the fixed blade movement restricting hole 67, so that the fixed blade 33 in the separating section 20 can be accurately set at the same position. As a result, the pair of blade bodies (between the fixed blade 33 and the movable blade 189) are accurately positioned. At this time, the thermal head portion of the lower surface of the thermal head 223 (not shown in FIG. 9) abuts against the platen roller 31 (elastically abuts against the platen roller 31 due to the biasing force of the coil spring 250).

[0035] In this state, label paper pulled out from the label roll 27 stored in the roll storage section 29 of the separation section 20 is passed between the platen roller 31 and the thermal head 223, and while the platen roller 31 is rotated and driven, printing is performed by the thermal head 223, and the printed label paper passes between the fixed blade 33 and the movable blade 189 and is discharged. The discharged label paper is cut by the fixed blade 33 and the movable blade 189. In other words, at least the platen roller 31 and the thermal head 223 constitute a printing means that prints on the label paper, and at least the fixed blade 33 and the movable blade 189 constitute a cutting mechanism that cuts the printed label paper.

[0036] 10 and 11 are enlarged schematic diagrams of the main parts of the fixed blade 33 and the movable blade 189. FIG. 10 shows the state when the movable blade 189 is not driven (when it is raised), and FIG. 11 shows the state when the movable blade 189 is driven (when it is lowered). In both figures, both blade bodies 33, 189 are in a cutting position. That is, as shown in FIG. 10, when the movable blade 189 is not driven, a gap S for passing the label paper R is formed between the blade 41 of the fixed blade 33 and the blade 193 of the movable blade 189. Then, when the movable blade 189 shown in FIG. 10 is lowered linearly downward by driving the movable blade drive motor 185, the fixed blade 33 rotates against the biasing means 51 by the blade guide portion 195 provided at one end of the lower end side of the movable blade 189, and the label paper R is cut by the blade 193 and the blade 41 as shown in FIG. 11. At this time, the clamping pressure between blade 193 and blade 41 that clamps label paper R can be kept constant by biasing means 51, so that even if changes occur over time such as blade wear, the label paper R can always be cut with a constant, good shearing action.

[0037] Next, if a paper jam occurs during the printing, the lock release lever 13 shown in FIG. 1 is lifted upward to release the lock, and the separation unit 20 is pulled out linearly toward the front. At this time, as shown in FIG. 12, the guide portion 32 of the separation unit 20 is separated from the guided portion 199 of the mounting plate 183, and the movable blade unit 180 can rotate forward as shown by the arrow in FIG. 12. Therefore, the movable blade 189 can be easily pulled far away from the fixed blade 33, and thereby problems occurring in the cutting mechanism such as paper jams can be easily eliminated. In particular, in the case where the movable blade 189 cannot return to its original position from the position shown in FIG. 11 due to a paper jam, if the movable blade 189 cannot be moved, the separation unit 20 cannot be pulled out due to the engagement between the fixed blade 33 and the movable blade 189. However, according to the mechanism of this embodiment, the movable blade 189 can move in the moving direction of the separation unit 20, so that even in such a case, the separation unit 20 can be easily pulled out and the paper jam can be eliminated.

[0038] In this embodiment, the fixed blade 33 moves linearly by the separation section 20, which is its moving mechanism (linear movement mechanism), and the movable blade 189 moves rotationally by the movable blade unit 180, which is its moving mechanism (rotational movement mechanism). Therefore, simply by moving the fixed blade 33 linearly away from the cutting position, the movable blade 189 moves away from the cutting position in the rotational direction, and the gap between the fixed blade 33 and the movable blade 189 can be greatly increased over a short distance, making it easier to clear paper jams, etc.

[0039] After clearing the paper jam or replacing the label roll 27, the separation unit 20 is pushed into the device body to return to the cuttable position shown in FIG. 2, and the lock release lever 13 is locked. At this time, as shown in FIG. 9, the guide portion 32 of the separation unit 20 engages with the guided portion 199 of the movable blade unit 180 to guide and fix the movable blade unit 180 to the cuttable position. In other words, by simply returning the separation unit 20 to the cuttable position, the movable blade unit 180 can be automatically guided and fixed to the cuttable position in conjunction with the movement. When the guide portion 32 abuts and engages with the guided portion 199, the movable blade unit 180 and the support 160 are positioned at their original positions, slightly moved backward with respect to the mounting body 110, against the biasing force of the coil spring 240. That is, as described above, the movable blade unit 180 and the support 160 are pressurized by the coil spring 240, and the relative position of the movable blade 189 with respect to the separation unit 20 is accurately positioned by this pressurization.

[0040] Incidentally, the cutting mechanism is provided with a cuttable position detection means, which controls the movable blade 189 to return to its initial position when at least either the separating section 20 or the movable blade unit 180 is not in a cuttable position. Specifically, the cuttable position detection means is configured to include a separating section position detection sensor S1-1 and a detection section S1-2 consisting of a part of the frame body 25 (these together constitute a first cuttable position detection means) shown by dotted lines in Figs. 2 and 3, and a movable blade unit position detection sensor S2-1 and a detection section S2-2 (these together constitute a second cuttable position detection means) shown by dotted lines in Figs. 9 and 12. Although not shown, a movable blade sensor is built into the drive mechanism section 181 of the movable blade unit 180 to detect whether the movable blade 189 is in a protruding cutting position or in a retracted initial position.

[0041] The separation unit position detection sensor S1-1 is composed of, for example, a photointerrupter (a sensor having opposing light-emitting and light-receiving parts, and detecting the position (presence or absence) of the detection part S1-2 by the light-receiving part detecting that the detection part S1-2 blocks light from the light-emitting part), and is attached to a member on the device main body side (not shown).As shown in FIG. 2, when the detection part S1-2 is detected by the separation unit position detection sensor S1-1, it detects that the separation unit 20 is in the cuttable position shown in FIG. 2, while when the detection part S1-2 is not detected by the separation unit position detection sensor S1-1, it detects that the separation unit 20 has moved (away) from the cuttable position, as shown in FIG. 3.

[0042] The movable blade unit position detection sensor S2-1 is also composed of, for example, a photointerrupter and is attached to a member on the movable blade unit 180 side (for example, a cover or decorative plate that covers the front of the movable blade unit 180 and moves (swings) together with the movable blade unit 180). When a detection unit S2-2 attached to a member on the device main body side is detected by the separation unit position detection sensor S2-1, it detects that the movable blade unit 180 is in the cutting position shown in Figure 9 (the sensor is omitted in Figure 9), and when the detection unit S2-2 is not detected by the separation unit position detection sensor S2-1 as shown in Figure 12, it detects that the movable blade unit 180 has moved (away from) the cutting position.

[0043] And the control means for controlling each of these sensors and the movable blade drive motor 185 determines whether or not the separation unit 20 or the movable blade unit 180 is in a cuttable position. When it is determined that the separation unit 20 or the movable blade unit 180 is not in a cuttable position, and when the movable blade sensor determines that the movable blade 189 is not in the initial position, the movable blade drive motor 185 is driven to control the movable blade 189 to return to the initial position. That is, for example, during maintenance such as when the label paper R is jammed between the fixed blade 33 and the movable blade 189 or when the label paper R is replaced, as described above, the separation unit 20 and the movable blade unit 180 are moved to be separated from the cuttable position. At this time, in this cutting mechanism (printing apparatus 10), the positions of the separation unit 20 and the movable blade unit 180 are detected. When either one of them is moved from the cuttable position, the movable blade 189 is automatically returned to the initial position, thereby eliminating the need for operations such as separately manually driving the movable blade 189, shortening the working time and labor, and making it possible to easily perform maintenance work and the like. In addition, by using the movable blade sensor built in the movable blade unit 180, when it is determined that the movable blade 189 is not in the initial position when the printing apparatus 10 is powered on, even if the separation unit 20 or the movable blade unit 180 is in the cuttable position, control may be performed to return the movable blade 189 to the initial position.

[0044] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims, the specification, and the drawings. Even for any shape, structure, or material not directly described in the specification and the drawings, as long as the functions and effects of the present invention are achieved, it is within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. For example, in the above example, the fixed blade is installed on the separation unit side and the movable blade is installed on the member side of the apparatus main body, but the two blade bodies may be installed on the opposite sides. Also, as a pair of blade bodies, instead of the movable blade and the fixed blade, both may be movable blades.

[0045] In the above example, label paper, which is a printing medium, is used as the medium to be cut. However, it may also be a printing medium used for other purposes, or various media to be cut other than printing media, such as tapes and films. In short, any medium that is cut and used is acceptable. Also, the medium to be cut does not have to be pulled out from a roll.

[0046] In the above example, a linear movement mechanism and a rotational movement mechanism are used as different movement mechanisms. However, both can be linear movement mechanisms, or both can be rotational movement mechanisms, or a movement mechanism other than linear and rotational can also be used. In short, as long as the cutting mechanism is configured such that when one movement mechanism with one blade body moves from the cutting position, the other movement mechanism with the other blade body can move from the cutting position, any configuration of the cutting mechanism is acceptable. In the above embodiment, as described above, one movement mechanism is a linear movement mechanism and the other movement mechanism is a rotational movement mechanism, and thereby the gap between the two blade bodies is largely separated at a short distance. However, even when both movement mechanisms are rotational movement mechanisms, the gap between the two blade bodies can be largely separated at a short distance. However, since providing a linear movement mechanism enables smooth replacement of the label roll, etc., in the above embodiment, considering convenience, one of the movement mechanisms is a linear movement mechanism that allows smooth storage of the label roll, etc.

[0047] Also, the movable blade unit (rotational movement mechanism) may further include a biasing member that biases the movable blade unit in a direction away from the cutting position. With this configuration, when the separating part (one blade body) moves, the movable blade unit (the other blade body) can also be automatically and easily moved by this biasing member. For example, when the separating part is moved away from the cutting position in a linear direction, the movable blade unit is automatically separated by the biasing member in a direction upward from the linear movement direction, so there is no risk of the other blade body interfering with the linear movement of one blade body. Also, the biasing means (coil spring) was installed on the back side of one blade body attached to the device body side when viewed from the operator side in the above embodiment. Instead, it may be installed on the front side of this one blade body.

[0048] In the above example, a weighed-price label printer was used as the printing device, but the printing device can be similarly installed in various other devices, such as a POS register, a kitchen printer, a ticket machine, etc. In the above example, photointerrupters were used as the position detection sensors S1-1 and S2-1, but various other position detection sensors, such as optical sensors with other structures or magnetic sensors, may also be used. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1 Label printer (measuring machine, product data processing device) 3 Base part 5 Display means 7 Key operation section 9 Scale section 10 Printing device 11 Label issuing port 13 Lock release lever 20 Separation section (linear movement mechanism, movement mechanism) 21 mounting body 23 slider mechanism 25 Frame 27 Label roll 29 Roll storage section 30 Fixed blade unit 31 Platen roller (printing means) 32 Guide section 33 Fixed blade (blade body, cutting mechanism) 35,37 Side plate 36 Projection part 39 Movement restriction part 41 Blade 43 Support 45 Fixed blade holder 47 Shaft part 49 Mounting base 51 Pressing means 53 Screw 57 Axle support protrusion 59 Axial support portion 61 Spring end locking portion 63 Coil part 64 Spring end 65 Center of spring 67 Fixed blade movement restriction hole 69 Contact portion 100 Apparatus body side member 110 Mounting body 111,113,115,117 side wall 119 Opening 121 Locking portion 123 Opening 125 Locking portion 127 Opening 129 Spring support 131 First support engaging portion 133 Second support engaging portion 135 Spring insertion part 137 Support body support part 139 Insertion part 141 Support part 160 Support body 161 Movable blade side support part 163 device body side support part 164 spring insertion part 165 Axle support portion 166 Movable blade unit abutment portion 167, 169 Support holder 171 Guide insert 173 Stopper part 175 Spring support part 177 Guide insertion part 179 Stop part 180 Movable blade unit (rotation mechanism, movement mechanism) 181 Drive mechanism 183 Mounting plate 185 Movable blade drive motor 187 Drive knob 189 Movable blade (blade body, cutting mechanism) 191 Movable blade holding member 192 Screw 193 Blade 195 Blade guide portion 197 Side portion 199 Guided part 215,225 Side wall 220 Printing unit 221 Mounting plate 223 Thermal head (print head, printing means) 227 Locking piece 229 Spring support piece 231 Locking portion 240 Coil spring 250 Coil spring R Label paper (printing medium, cutting medium) S Gap S1-1 Separation section position detection sensor (cuttable position detection means) S1-2 Detector (Cuttable position detector) S2-1 Movable blade unit position detection sensor (cutting position detection means) S2-2 Detector (Cuttable position detector)

Claims

1. A pair of blades are disposed opposite each other at a cutting position for cutting the medium to be cut, The pair of blades are attached to different moving mechanisms, When one of the moving mechanisms to which the one blade body is attached is moved from the cuttable position, the other of the moving mechanisms to which the other blade body is attached is configured to be movable from the cuttable position, One of the pair of blade bodies is a movable blade, the moving mechanism supporting the movable blade is a rotational moving mechanism, the rotational moving mechanism including a maintenance movable blade drive mechanism and a manual operation knob for the maintenance movable blade drive mechanism; The other of the pair of blade bodies is a fixed blade, The fixed blade is arranged to be swingable within a predetermined range by a fixed blade movement restriction hole provided in a side plate of another moving mechanism other than the moving mechanism supporting the movable blade. A cutting mechanism characterized by:

2. The rotational movement mechanism is a movable blade unit formed in a substantially rectangular box shape, and a pair of supports are rotatably attached to both side surfaces of the movable blade unit. The cutting mechanism of claim 1 .

3. the rotational movement mechanism is a movable blade unit including a movable blade drive motor that drives the movable blade, The movable blade unit exposes a part of the movable blade drive motor and the operation knob housed therein. The cutting mechanism of claim 1 .

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