CUTTING MACHINE

Abstract

The cutting machine (1) consists of: a work platform (3) along which the item (2) is transported in the direction of transport; a pen holder (5) constructed to move up on the work platform (3) in the first direction perpendicular to the direction of transport and parallel to the horizontal direction; an electric tool (4) constructed to be detachable from the pen holder (5); and a power supply unit (24) constructed to supply power to the electric tool (4). This allows the electric tool (4) to be used for various processes other than the cutting process.

Description

Cutting plotter

[0001] The present invention relates to a cutting plotter configured to be able to use a power tool.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a cutting plotter equipped with multiple cutting tools. This cutting plotter has a cutting head that moves back and forth and left and right relative to the medium to be cut. Multiple cutting tools are attached to the cutting head. The cutting tools are blades with cutting edges at their tips that cut the medium in the same shape as the cutting head's movement path.

[0003] In recent years, various techniques have been devised for adding various decorations to sheet media. One such technique is a printing technique in which a thermal transfer foil is placed on the sheet media, and the foil is then heated with a heat pen to trace the shape of letters or pictures, thereby fixing the foil to the media by thermal transfer. Another technique is to grind a thick sheet using a tool called a router, which has a blade or grindstone that rotates at high speed.

[0004] However, the cutting plotter disclosed in Patent Document 1 can only use cutting tools that do not require a power source, and cannot use power tools such as the heat pen and router described above.

[0005] JP 2009-50978 A

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a cutting plotter that can perform a wide variety of processes other than cutting using a power tool.

[0007] One aspect of the present invention is a cutting plotter comprising a work stage along which a medium is transported in a transport direction, a pen carriage configured to move above the work stage in a first direction perpendicular to the transport direction and parallel to the horizontal direction, an electric tool configured to be detachable from the pen carriage, and a power supply unit configured to supply power to the electric tool.

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a cutting plotter that can perform a wide variety of processes other than cutting using a power tool.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cutting plotter according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a pen carriage portion of the cutting plotter when a heat pen is not attached. FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a pen carriage portion of the cutting plotter when a heat pen is attached. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a mechanism for transporting a medium. FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective cross-sectional view of a power tool attachment portion and a portion of the heat pen when the heat pen is being attached to the power tool attachment portion. FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective cross-sectional view of a power tool attachment portion and a portion of the heat pen when the heat pen is attached to the power tool attachment portion. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the heat pen.

[0010] An embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

[0011] The cutting plotter 1 shown in Figure 1 includes a work stage 3 on which a sheet-like medium 2 to be cut (hereinafter simply referred to as medium 2) is transported, and a pen carriage 5 that supports a cutting pen or power tool 4 (not shown) (see Figure 3). The cutting plotter 1 according to this embodiment is configured to be able to perform cutting processes, which cut out figures and characters from the medium 2, as well as other processes. Examples of other processes include a thermal transfer process, which transfers a thermal transfer foil (not shown) to the medium 2, and a process, which cuts a thick medium 2 with a rotary power tool 4 called a router. In this embodiment, a case where a thermal transfer process is performed as another process will be described.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 2 , the pen carriage 5 includes a non-powered tool mounting portion 6 and a powered tool mounting portion 7. A cutting pen (not shown) for performing cutting processing is removably mounted to the non-powered tool mounting portion 6. A powered tool 4 for performing the above-mentioned "other processing" is removably mounted to the powered tool mounting portion 7. The powered tool 4 is configured to be removably attached to the powered tool mounting portion 7 (pen carriage 5). In this embodiment, a heat pen 4 a (see FIG. 7 ) is used as the powered tool 4 for performing thermal transfer processing. The heat pen 4 a, details of which will be described later, is configured to be powered from the pen carriage 5 while attached to the pen carriage 5, and its tip is heated to a predetermined temperature.

[0013] The work stage 3 extends in the transport direction of the medium 2 (the direction from the lower left to the upper right in FIG. 1 ) and in a left-right direction that intersects with the transport direction and is parallel to the horizontal direction (the direction from the upper left to the lower right in FIG. 1 , the first direction). In the following description, the downstream side in the transport direction of the medium 2 is referred to as the rear side, and the upstream side in the transport direction of the medium 2 is referred to as the front side.

[0014] The medium 2 may be a sheet fed individually or in a roll.

[0015] 4, the medium 2 is transported by rotating the medium drive roller 8 while the medium 2 on the work stage 3 is sandwiched between the medium drive roller 8 and the pinch roller 9. The medium drive roller 8 and the pinch roller 9 constitute a medium feed mechanism that moves the medium 2 back and forth in the transport direction.

[0016] The pinch roller 9 is supported by a support member 10 so as to be movable up and down, and is biased by the spring force of a spring member (not shown) so as to be pressed against the medium drive roller 8. The support member 10 is supported by a frame (not shown) of the cutting plotter 1 via rails 11 extending in the left-right direction.

[0017] The medium driving roller 8 is disposed below the working stage 3 and extends in the left-right direction. An opening 3a extending in the left-right direction is formed in the working stage 3, and the upper part of the medium driving roller 8 protrudes from the opening 3a to the upper surface of the working stage 3. The medium driving roller 8 rotates to transport the medium 2 pressed by the pinch roller 9.

[0018] The pen carriage 5 has the function of driving a cutting pen and a heat pen 4a (not shown) in the vertical direction, and is configured to be movable in the left-right direction above the work stage 3. The vertical direction here refers to the vertical direction that intersects with the work stage 3.

[0019] When cutting the medium 2, a cutting pen is attached to a pen carriage 5, and the medium 2 is moved in the front-rear direction with the cutting pen blade stuck in the medium 2, and the pen carriage 5 is moved in the left-right direction to cut the medium 2.

[0020] The thermal transfer process is performed by sandwiching a laminate formed by layering a thermal transfer foil (not shown) on the medium 2 between a medium drive roller 8 and a pinch roller 9, and moving the medium 2 back and forth while pressing the heated heat transfer body 12 (see Figure 7) at the tip of the heat pen 4a against the thermal transfer foil, and moving the pen carriage 5 left and right.

[0021] 2, the non-power tool mounting portion 6 and the power tool mounting portion 7 each include mounting seats 15, 16 having holes 13, 14 opening in the vertical direction, main bodies 17, 18 extending upward from the mounting seats 15, 16, and locking pieces 19, 20 protruding forward from the mounting seats 15, 16. The hole 13 in the mounting seat 15 of the non-power tool mounting portion 6 is shaped to fit a cutting pen. The hole 14 in the mounting seat 16 of the power tool mounting portion 7 is shaped to fit a heat pen 4a.

[0022] The main bodies 17, 18 of the non-powered tool mounting portion 6 and the powered tool mounting portion 7 are connected to first and second drive units 21, 22, respectively, housed inside the pen carriage 5. The first drive unit 21 moves the non-powered tool mounting portion 6 up and down using, for example, a solenoid (not shown) as a power source. The second drive unit 22 moves the powered tool mounting portion 7 up and down using, for example, a mechanism that converts the rotation of a motor (not shown) into reciprocating motion in the up and down direction.

[0023] As shown in Fig. 5, contact terminals 23 are provided on the upper surface 18a of the main body 18 of the power tool attachment portion 7. In this embodiment, four contact terminals 23 are arranged side by side at a predetermined interval in the left-right direction on the upper end of the pen carriage 5. The four contact terminals 23 are formed by conductive plates extending horizontally and are exposed in holes 29 opening in the upper surface 18a of the main body 18. The four contact terminals 23 are electrically connected to the power tool power supply unit 25 (see Fig. 1) via wiring (not shown).

[0024] Two of the four contact terminals 23 are first contact terminals 23a for supplying power to the power tool 4. The first contact terminals 23a, together with a power tool power supply unit 25 and a second contact terminal 26a (described later) provided on the heat pen 4a, constitute a power supply unit 24 for supplying power to the heat pen 4a.

[0025] The other two of the four contact terminals 23 are third contact terminals 23b for identifying the type of the power tool 4. The power tool power supply unit 25 is configured to identify the type of the power tool 4 by being connected to an identification circuit (not shown) in the power tool 4 via the third contact terminals 23b, and to supply optimal power to the power tool 4.

[0026] The main body 18 is provided with a sensor 27 (see FIG. 2) for determining whether the tool attached to the mounting seat 16 is a power tool 4 and for identifying power tools 4 with different processing capabilities. The sensor 27 is an electromagnetic induction type and detects the vertical width of a metal plate 28 (see FIG. 7) attached to the power tool 4. The vertical width of the metal plate 28 varies depending on the category of the power tool 4, for example.

[0027] The locking pieces 19, 20 are used to switch between a locked state and an unlocked state of the pen tool or power tool 4 fitted in the holes 13, 14 of the mounting seats 15, 16. Although not shown in detail, the locking pieces 19, 20 are attached to the front of the mounting seats 15, 16 so as to be movable forward and backward. When the locking pieces 19, 20 move forward relative to the mounting seats 15, 16, the locking piece is released. When the locking pieces 19, 20 move backward relative to the mounting seats 15, 16, the pen tool or power tool 4 is tightly bound by the mounting seats 15, 16 and is locked.

[0028] 7, the heat pen 4a includes a heat conductor 12 exposed at its tip (bottom end). The heat conductor 12 is a ball made of a material with high thermal conductivity, and is rotatably supported at the tip 31 of the heat pen 4a. The heat conductor 12 is heated to a predetermined temperature by a heater (not shown) provided inside the heat pen 4a.

[0029] The tip 31 of the heat pen 4a, which has the heat transfer body 12, is provided with a generally cylindrical fitting portion 32 that fits into the mounting seat 16 of the power tool mounting portion 7. The fitting portion 32 is formed with multiple protrusions 33 extending in the longitudinal direction of the heat pen 4a and a flange 34 extending circumferentially of the fitting portion 32. The multiple protrusions 33 are used to position the fitting portion 32 circumferentially around the hole 14 of the mounting seat 16 and are shaped to fit into multiple grooves 14a (see FIG. 2 ) formed in the hole 14. The flange 34 is used to regulate the position of the fitting portion 32 relative to the mounting seat 16 in the longitudinal direction of the heat pen 4a. When the heat pen 4a is attached to the power tool mounting portion 7, the flange 34 abuts against the mounting seat 16 from above, preventing the heat pen 4a from moving downward.

[0030] A protruding wall 35 is provided at the end (upper end) of the heat pen 4a opposite the heat transfer body 12, which protrudes upward, i.e., toward the rear, of the upper end of the pen carriage 5 when the heat pen 4a is attached to the pen carriage 5. As shown in FIG. 6 , the protruding wall 35 is formed so as to overlap the upper end of the pen carriage 5 (upper surface 18a of the main body 18) from above when the heat pen 4a is attached to the power tool attachment part 7.

[0031] Contact terminals 26 are provided on the lower part of the protruding wall 35. In this embodiment, the four contact terminals 26 are aligned in the left-right direction at the same pitch as the four contact terminals 23. The four contact terminals 26 are formed by pins that protrude downward from the lower surface of the protruding wall 35. Although not shown in detail, the pins that form the contact terminals 26 are configured to be able to advance and retreat in the up-down direction and are biased downward by a spring member.

[0032] Two of the four contact terminals 26 are second contact terminals 26a connected to a heater provided inside the heat pen 4a, and the other two of the four contact terminals 26 are fourth contact terminals 26b connected to an identification circuit (not shown) provided inside the heat pen 4a.

[0033] To attach the heat pen 4a to the power tool attachment portion 7, the tip of the heat pen 4a is inserted from above into the hole 14 of the attachment seat 16. At this time, the protruding wall 35 is positioned above the contact terminals 23 (the first contact terminal 23a and the third contact terminal 23b).

[0034] The heat pen 4a is positioned in a usable position by fitting the fitting portion 32 of the heat pen 4a into the hole 14 of the mounting seat 16 and overlapping the flange 34 with the mounting seat 16 from above. In the process of fitting the fitting portion 32 into the hole 14 of the mounting seat 16, the contact terminals 26 (the second contact terminal 26a and the fourth contact terminal 26b) of the heat pen 4a are connected to the contact terminals 23 (the first contact terminal 23a and the third contact terminal 23b) of the pen carriage 5 from above.

[0035] The two second contact terminals 26a of the heat pen 4a are connected to the heater. When the heat pen 4a is attached to the power tool attachment part 7, the second contact terminals 26a are connected to the first contact terminals 23a of the power tool attachment part 7, and the heat pen 4a is energized.

[0036] The two fourth contact terminals 26b of the heat pen 4a are connected to an identification circuit provided inside the heat pen 4a. When the heat pen 4a is attached to the power tool attachment part 7, the fourth contact terminal 26b is connected to the third contact terminal 23b of the power tool attachment part 7, and the power tool power supply part 25 is connected to the identification circuit. This allows the power tool power supply part 25 to identify the type of heat pen 4a and supply the optimal power to the heat pen 4a.

[0037] In this embodiment, for example, four types of power tools 4 can be identified by the combination of the energized states of the two fourth contact terminals 26b. Furthermore, multiple types of power tools 4 can be identified by the vertical width of the metal plate 28. By combining these two techniques, even more types of power tools can be identified.

[0038] With the fitting portion 32 of the heat pen 4a fitted into the hole 14 of the mounting seat 16, the locking piece 20 is operated to lock the heat pen 4a, completing the installation of the heat pen 4a and enabling the thermal transfer process.

[0039] Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a cutting plotter that can perform a wide variety of processes other than cutting using the power tool 4.

[0040] The power supply unit 24 in this embodiment includes a first contact terminal 23a provided on the pen carriage 5 and a second contact terminal 26a provided on the power tool 4 (heat pen 4a). When the power tool 4 is attached to the pen carriage 5, the second contact terminal 26a is connected to the first contact terminal 23a, and the power tool 4 is energized. This eliminates the need for a separate operation to electrically connect the power tool 4 to the pen carriage 5, and the power tool 4 can be easily attached to the pen carriage 5.

[0041] In this embodiment, the first contact terminal 23a is provided at the upper end of the pen carriage 5. The second contact terminal 26a is provided at a portion of the power tool 4 that overlaps the upper end of the pen carriage 5 from above. This makes the direction of movement of the power tool 4 when attaching the power tool 4 to the pen carriage 5 the same as the direction of movement when the second contact terminal 26a is connected to the first contact terminal 23a. Therefore, attaching the power tool 4 to the pen carriage 5 automatically connects the second contact terminal 26a to the first contact terminal 23a, making the installation of the power tool 4 even easier.

[0042] The following appendices summarize the above-described embodiments. The elements of the appendices below can be combined with each other.

[0043] Appendix 1 is a cutting plotter comprising a work stage along which a medium is transported in a transport direction, a pen carriage configured to move above the work stage in a first direction perpendicular to the transport direction and parallel to the horizontal direction, an electric tool configured to be detachable from the pen carriage, and a power supply unit configured to supply power to the electric tool.

[0044] The power tool may be configured to perform a process on the media, which may include applying a thermal foil to the media or scraping the media.

[0045] Supplementary note 2 is the cutting plotter according to Supplementary note 1, wherein the power supply unit includes a first contact terminal provided on the pen carriage and a second contact terminal provided on the power tool and arranged to contact the first contact terminal when the power tool is attached to the pen carriage. When the power tool is attached to the pen carriage, the second contact terminal is connected to the first contact terminal, and the power tool is energized.

[0046] Supplementary note 3 is the cutting plotter according to Supplementary note 2, wherein the power supply unit further includes a power source electrically connected to the first contact terminal.

[0047] Appendix 4 is a cutting plotter according to Appendix 2 or 3, wherein the first contact terminal is arranged at the upper end of the pen carriage, the power tool includes a portion that is superimposed on the upper end of the pen carriage from above, and the second contact terminal is arranged at the portion of the power tool.

[0048] Appendix 5 is a cutting plotter as described in Appendix 4, wherein the electric tool includes a protruding wall formed to protrude above the upper end of the pen carriage when the electric tool is attached to the pen carriage, and the portion where the second contact terminal is arranged is the underside of the protruding wall.

[0049] Supplementary note 6 is the cutting plotter according to any one of Supplementary notes 1 to 5, further comprising a medium feed mechanism configured to reciprocate the medium in the transport direction. The medium feed mechanism may include a drive roller extending in the first direction and a pinch roller configured to press the medium against the drive roller. The drive roller may be configured to rotate so as to transport the medium pressed by the pinch roller in the transport direction.

[0050] 1...cutting plotter, 2...medium, 3...work stage, 4...electric tool, 5...pen carriage, 18...main body, 24...power supply unit, 23a...first contact terminal, 25...power supply unit for electric tool, 26a...second contact terminal, 35...projecting wall

Claims

1. A cutting plotter comprising: a work stage along which a medium is transported in a transport direction; a pen carriage configured to move above the work stage in a first direction perpendicular to the transport direction and parallel to the horizontal direction; an electric tool configured to be detachable from the pen carriage; and a power supply unit configured to supply power to the electric tool.

2. A cutting plotter as described in claim 1, wherein the power supply unit includes: a first contact terminal provided on the pen carriage; and a second contact terminal provided on the power tool and positioned so as to come into contact with the first contact terminal when the power tool is attached to the pen carriage.

3. The cutting plotter according to claim 2, wherein the power supply section further includes a power source electrically connected to the first contact terminal.

4. A cutting plotter as described in claim 2 or 3, wherein the first contact terminal is arranged at an upper end of the pen carriage, the electric tool includes a portion that is superimposed on the upper end of the pen carriage from above, and the second contact terminal is arranged at the portion of the electric tool.

5. A cutting plotter as described in claim 4, wherein the electric tool includes a protruding wall formed to protrude above the upper end of the pen carriage when the electric tool is attached to the pen carriage, and the portion where the second contact terminal is arranged is the underside of the protruding wall.

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