Cutting device and cutting method

Abstract

Provided is a cutting device (100) comprising: an upper blade (10); a lower blade (20); a cutting blade movement mechanism (40) which generates a first driving force for moving the tip end of the upper blade (10) along a vertical direction (VD); a transport part (50) which transports a paper bundle (B) along a transport direction (TD); a stopper (60) which can be abutted on by and end of the paper bundle (B) that is downstream in the transport direction (TD); a positioning part (70) which causes the paper bundle (B) to contact the stopper (60) to position the paper bundle (B); and a driving force conversion mechanism (80) which converts the first driving force generated by the cutting blade movement mechanism (40) into a second driving force in the transport direction (TD), and that moves the positioning part (70) with the second driving force along the transport direction (TD) so that the positioning part (70) is disposed at a position (X3) approaching a facing position (X1) when the upper blade (10) is in a non-cutting position and so that the positioning part (70) is disposed in a retraction position further upstream of the position (X1) in the transport direction (TD) when the upper blade (10) is in a cutting position.

Description

Cutting device and cutting method

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

[0002] Conventionally, a trimming device for trimming the fore edge of a bound booklet is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 discloses that the fore edge of a booklet bound at its back is pushed by a pusher to move it and position it at a cutting position of a fore edge trimming blade. The pusher is fixed to a timing belt that moves with the rotation of a servo motor, and reciprocates between a standby position and a position where the fore edge of the booklet is trimmed. When the pusher positions the position where the fore edge of the booklet is trimmed below the cutting edge of the fore edge trimming blade, the pusher returns to the standby position.

[0003] JP 2013-230530 A

[0004] However, if an abnormality occurs in the servo motor or timing belt, for example, and the pusher is in the area where the edge trimmer blade moves up and down, the edge trimmer blade and the pusher may come into contact, potentially causing a malfunction in the device. If such an abnormality occurs, it will take a lot of work and time to repair the device so that it is in a malfunction-free state, and the production efficiency of the trimmer will drop significantly.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a cutting device and cutting method that can perform cutting while positioning a stack of paper and appropriately prevent the cutting blade from coming into contact with other components and causing the device to break down.

[0006] A cutting device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a first blade, a second blade fixed at a predetermined position, a first movement mechanism that generates a first driving force that moves a tip of the first blade in a predetermined direction between a non-cutting position spaced apart from the second blade and a cutting position past the second blade, a conveyance unit that conveys a stack of paper along a conveyance direction that intersects with the predetermined direction toward an opposing position where the first blade and the second blade face each other in the predetermined direction, a stopper that is positioned at a downstream end of the stack of paper conveyed by the conveyance unit in the conveyance direction and against which the stack of paper is abutted, and a stopper that is positioned at an upstream end of the stack of paper conveyed by the conveyance unit in the conveyance direction. a positioning unit that presses a fore-edge portion disposed at a position corresponding to the first blade along the conveying direction to position the paper stack in contact with the stopper; and a second movement mechanism that converts the first driving force generated by the first movement mechanism into a second driving force in the conveying direction, and moves the positioning unit along the conveying direction by the second driving force so that when the first blade is in the non-cutting position, the positioning unit is positioned at a proximity position that is close to the opposing position, and when the first blade is in the cutting position, the positioning unit is positioned at a retracted position upstream of the proximity position in the conveying direction.

[0007] In the cutting device according to one aspect of the present invention, the downstream end of the paper stack in the conveying direction is abutted against the stopper by the conveying unit, and the positioning unit positions the paper stack so that it contacts the stopper. Then, the fore-edge portion of the paper stack, which is positioned so that the first blade faces the second blade, is cut when the first blade moves from the non-cutting position to the cutting position.

[0008] In the cutting device according to one aspect of the present invention, the second movement mechanism converts the first driving force generated by the first movement mechanism into the second driving force, so when the first driving force moves the first blade from the non-cutting position to the cutting position, the positioning unit moves from the proximity position to the retracted position, reliably preventing the first blade from coming into contact with the positioning unit. Therefore, with the cutting device according to one aspect of the present invention, cutting is performed with the stack of sheets positioned, and it is possible to appropriately prevent the cutting blade from coming into contact with other components and causing the device to malfunction.

[0009] In one aspect of the present invention, a cutting device includes a paper stack guide section that is arranged alongside the conveying section in a width direction perpendicular to the conveying direction and that forms a guide surface that supports the paper stack and guides it along the conveying direction, and the second moving mechanism may be configured to move the paper stack guide section along the conveying direction by the second driving force so that when the first blade is in the non-cutting position, the downstream end of the paper stack guide section in the conveying direction is positioned at a first position close to the opposing position, and when the first blade is in the cutting position, the downstream end of the paper stack guide section in the conveying direction is positioned at a second position that is upstream of the first position in the conveying direction.

[0010] According to the cutting device having the above configuration, when the first blade is in the non-cutting position, the downstream end of the paper stack guide in the transport direction is located at a first position close to the opposing position, so that the paper stack transported by the transport unit can be supported by the guide surface, and the paper stack can be transported reliably. Also, when the first blade is in the cutting position, the downstream end of the paper stack guide in the transport direction is located at a second position that is upstream of the first position in the transport direction, so that the first blade can be reliably prevented from coming into contact with the paper stack guide when moving from the non-cutting position to the cutting position.

[0011] In one aspect of the cutting device of the present invention, the positioning section may be configured to include a moving member that moves along the conveying direction by the second moving mechanism, a contact member that contacts the edge portion of the paper stack, and a drive mechanism that moves the contact member along the conveying direction relative to the moving member.

[0012] According to the cutting device of this configuration, by converting the first driving force generated by the first moving mechanism into a second driving force in the conveying direction and moving the moving member along the conveying direction, it is possible to reliably prevent the first blade from contacting the positioning portion when the first blade moves from the non-cutting position to the cutting position. Furthermore, by moving the contact member along the conveying direction relative to the moving member, it is possible to move the contact member along the conveying direction at the positioning portion located in the vicinity of the moving member, and position the stack of sheets so that it contacts the stopper.

[0013] In the cutting device having the above configuration, the retracted position may be a position where the contact member is spaced upstream of the first blade in the conveyance direction. According to the cutting device of this aspect, when the first blade is at the cutting position, the contact member of the positioning unit is located at a position where it is spaced upstream of the first blade, so that it is possible to reliably prevent the first blade from coming into contact with the contact member.

[0014] In a cutting method for a cutting device according to one aspect of the present invention, the cutting device includes a first blade, a second blade fixed at a predetermined position, a conveying section that conveys the sheet bundle along a conveying direction that intersects with the predetermined direction toward an opposing position where the first blade and the second blade face each other in the predetermined direction, a stopper against which a downstream end of the sheet bundle conveyed by the conveying section in the conveying direction abuts, and a positioning section that positions the sheet bundle by pressing a fore-edge portion arranged at an upstream end of the sheet bundle in the conveying direction along the conveying direction to bring the sheet bundle into contact with the stopper, and a non-cutting blade spaced from the second blade. The method includes a cutting process for generating a first driving force that moves the tip of the first blade along the predetermined direction between a cutting position and a cutting position where the tip has passed the second blade, thereby cutting the stack of sheets of paper; and a moving process for converting the first driving force generated by the cutting process into a second driving force in the transport direction, and moving the positioning unit along the transport direction by the second driving force so that when the first blade is in the non-cutting position, the positioning unit is positioned at a proximity position that is close to the opposing position, and when the first blade is in the cutting position, the positioning unit is positioned at a retracted position upstream of the proximity position in the transport direction.

[0015] According to one aspect of the present invention, the sheet stack is abutted against the stopper by the conveying unit at its downstream end in the conveying direction, and is then positioned by the positioning unit so that the sheet stack contacts the stopper. The edge of the sheet stack, which is positioned so that the first blade faces the second blade, is cut when the first blade moves from the non-cutting position to the cutting position.

[0016] According to the cutting method of one aspect of the present invention, the first driving force generated in the cutting process is converted into the second driving force in the movement process, so that when the first driving force moves the first blade from the non-cutting position to the cutting position, the positioning unit moves from the proximity position to the retracted position, reliably preventing the first blade from coming into contact with the positioning unit. Therefore, according to the cutting method of one aspect of the present invention, cutting is performed with the stack of sheets positioned, and it is possible to appropriately prevent the cutting blade from coming into contact with other components and causing the device to malfunction.

[0017] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a cutting device and cutting method that can perform cutting while positioning a stack of paper and appropriately prevent the cutting blade from coming into contact with other components and causing the device to malfunction.

[0018] FIG. 1 is a side view of a cutting device according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which a stack of sheets is transported toward a stopper. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the cutting device shown in FIG. 1 as seen from above. FIG. 3 is a side view of a cutting device according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which a stack of sheets is abutted against a stopper. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the cutting device shown in FIG. 3 as seen from above. FIG. 5 is a side view of a cutting device according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which an upper blade is in a cutting position. FIG. 6 is a plan view of the cutting device shown in FIG. 5 as seen from above. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a cutting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a cutting method executed by the cutting device of this embodiment.

[0019] A cutting device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a side view of the cutting device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which a stack of sheets B is being conveyed toward a stopper 60. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the cutting device 100 shown in Fig. 1 as seen from above.

[0020] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the cutting device 100 of this embodiment includes an upper blade (first blade) 10, a lower blade (second blade) 20 fixed at a predetermined position in the vertical direction (predetermined direction) VD, a pressing unit 30 to which the upper blade 10 is fixed, a cutting blade moving mechanism (first moving mechanism) 40, a conveying unit 50, a paper stack guide unit 55, a stopper 60, a positioning unit 70, a drive force conversion mechanism (second moving mechanism) 80, and a control unit 90.

[0021] The pressing unit 30 has the upper blade 10 fixed thereto and is moved in the vertical direction VD by the cutting blade moving mechanism 40. The pressing unit 30 generates a pressing force that presses the sheet stack B placed on the lower blade 20 toward the lower blade 20 when the upper blade 10 is in the cutting position. The pressing unit 30 has a fixed member 31, a pressing member 32, a connecting member 33, and a spring 34.

[0022] The fixed member 31 is attached to the cutting blade moving mechanism 40 and is a member to which the upper blade 10 is fixed. The pressing member 32 is a member that presses the paper stack B placed on the lower blade 20 toward the lower blade 20 when the upper blade 10 is in the cutting position. The connecting member 33 is a member that connects the pressing member 32 to the fixed member 31 so that the pressing member 32 can be displaced along the vertical direction VD. The spring 34 is a member that generates a pressing force that presses the pressing member 32, which is in contact with the paper stack B, toward the lower blade 20.

[0023] The cutting blade moving mechanism 40 is a mechanism that moves the upper blade 10 in the vertical direction VD between a non-cutting position (see FIG. 1 ) spaced apart from the lower blade 20 and a cutting position (see FIG. 5 , described later) past the lower blade 20. The cutting blade moving mechanism 40 generates a first driving force by a driving source (not shown), such as an electric motor, that moves the pressing unit 30 in the vertical direction VD, and moves the upper blade 10 fixed to the fixed member 31 in the vertical direction VD. The control unit 90 transmits a movement command to the cutting blade moving mechanism 40, causing the cutting blade moving mechanism 40 to move the upper blade 10 in the vertical direction VD between the non-cutting position and the cutting position.

[0024] Although the cutting blade moving mechanism 40 is described as a mechanism that moves the upper blade 10 along the vertical direction VD between the non-cutting position and the cutting position, other configurations are also possible. For example, the cutting blade moving mechanism 40 may be a mechanism that moves the upper blade 10 along another direction that intersects the vertical direction VD (a direction inclined from the vertical direction VD). Also, for example, the cutting blade moving mechanism 40 may be a mechanism that moves the upper blade 10 in a direction along an arc-shaped trajectory.

[0025] The conveying unit 50 is a device that conveys the sheet stack B along a conveying direction TD that is horizontal and intersects with the vertical direction VD. The conveying unit 50 conveys the sheet stack B in a state in which the folded portion Ba of the sheet stack B is located downstream of the conveying direction TD and the fore-edge portion Bb of the sheet stack B is located upstream of the conveying direction TD. The conveying unit 50 has a first conveying belt 51 and a second conveying belt 52.

[0026] The first conveyor belt 51 is a device that conveys the stack of sheets B along the conveying direction TD toward an opposing position X1 where the upper blade 10 and the lower blade 20 face each other in the vertical direction VD. The opposing position X1 is a position on an axis X that extends in the horizontal direction HD parallel to the conveying direction TD. As shown in FIG. 2, the cutting device 100 has a pair of first conveyor belts 51 that are spaced apart along the width direction WD.

[0027] The second conveyor belt 52 is disposed downstream of the first conveyor belt 51 in the conveying direction TD and conveys the sheet stack B toward the stopper 60. The second conveyor belt 52 also discharges the sheet stack B, whose edge portion Bb has been cut by the upper blade 10 and the lower blade 20, along the conveying direction TD. As shown in FIG. 2 , the cutting device 100 has a pair of second conveyor belts 52 disposed at an interval along the width direction WD.

[0028] The conveying unit 50 operates in response to a conveying instruction transmitted from the control unit 90, and conveys and stops the folded portion Ba of the sheet stack B to the stop position X2 shown in Fig. 1. The stop position X2 shown in Fig. 1 is a position that is set in advance according to the length of the sheet stack B in the conveying direction TD so that the fore edge Bb of the sheet stack B is positioned at a position where it can be cut by the leading edge 10a of the upper blade 10. The second conveying belt 52 operates in response to a conveying instruction transmitted from the control unit 90, and conveys the sheet stack B whose fore edge Bb has been cut by the upper blade 10 and the lower blade 20, and discharges it to the outside.

[0029] The sheet stack guide 55 is a member that is arranged alongside the first transport belt 51 in the width direction WD that is perpendicular to the transport direction TD, and that forms a guide surface Gs that supports the sheet stack B from below in the vertical direction VD and guides it along the transport direction TD. As shown in Fig. 2, the sheet stack guide 55 has a first guide 55a that is arranged in the center in the width direction WD, a second guide 55b that is arranged on one end side of the first guide 55a, and a third guide 55c that is arranged on the other end side of the first guide 55a.

[0030] The first guide portion 55 a, the second guide portion 55 b, and the third guide portion 55 c are each connected to the positioning portion 70. The paper stack guide portion 55 moves together with the positioning portion 70 in the transport direction TD by the second driving force generated by the driving force conversion mechanism 80.

[0031] The stopper 60 is a device against which the folded portion Ba, which is the downstream end portion in the conveying direction TD of the sheet stack B conveyed by the conveying unit 50, abuts. The stopper 60 has a stopper member 61 that is disposed to protrude above the second conveying belt 52 and against which the folded portion Ba of the sheet stack B abuts, and a stopper movement mechanism 62 that moves the stopper member 61 along the conveying direction TD and the vertical direction VD.

[0032] When positioning the position of the folded portion Ba of the sheet stack B in the conveying direction TD, the stopper movement mechanism 62 moves the stopper member 61 to the stop position X2 based on information transmitted from the control unit 90 indicating the stop position X2 corresponding to the size of the sheet stack B in the conveying direction TD. Furthermore, when discharging the sheet stack B with the fore edge Bb cut, the stopper movement mechanism 62 moves the upper end of the stopper member 61 in the vertical direction VD to a retracted position so that it does not protrude above the second conveyor belt 52.

[0033] The positioning unit 70 is a device that presses the edge Bb, which is located at the upstream end of the sheet stack B in the transport direction TD, along the transport direction TD to bring the sheet stack B into contact with the stopper 60 and position it at the stop position X2. The positioning unit 70 has a moving member 71, a contact member 72, and a drive mechanism 73.

[0034] The moving member 71 is a member that moves along the conveying direction TD by a second driving force along the conveying direction TD that is generated by the driving force conversion mechanism 80. The contact member 72 is a member that comes into contact with the fore edge portion Bb of the sheet stack B, and is attached to the moving member 71 and is capable of swinging around a swing shaft 72a. As shown by the dotted line in Fig. 1 , when the sheet stack B is not being conveyed upward, the contact member 72 is biased clockwise around the swing shaft 72a by a spring (not shown) so as to protrude above the guide surface Gs of the sheet stack guide unit 55.

[0035] 1, when the sheet stack B is transported upward, the contact member 72 is rotated counterclockwise around the swing shaft 72a so that the upper end approaches the guide surface Gs of the sheet stack guide section 55. In this way, before the sheet stack B passes above, the contact member 72 rotates counterclockwise around the swing shaft 72a so that the sheet stack B is transported toward the stopper 60, and after the sheet stack B passes above, the contact member 72 swings clockwise around the swing shaft 72a and is positioned to face the fore edge Bb of the sheet stack B in the transport direction TD.

[0036] Here, the operation of moving contact member 72 in the transport direction TD relative to moving member 71 to bring sheet stack B into contact with stopper 60 and position it at stop position X2 will be described. Figure 3 is a side view of cutting device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which sheet stack B is abutted against stopper 60. Figure 4 is a plan view of cutting device 100 shown in Figure 3 as viewed from above.

[0037] 3 and 4 , when the upper blade 10 is in the non-cutting position, the downstream end of the movable member 71 in the conveying direction TD is located at position X3. The drive mechanism 73 moves the contact member 72 along the conveying direction TD relative to the movable member 71 so that the contact member 72 reciprocates between position X4 (shown by a solid line in FIG. 3 ) where the contact member 72 contacts the fore-edge portion Bb of the sheet stack B and position X5 (shown by a dotted line in FIG. 3 ), which is upstream of position X4 in the conveying direction TD. The drive mechanism 73 reciprocates the contact member 72 between position X4 and position X5, thereby positioning the folded portion Ba of the sheet stack B by contacting it with the stopper 60.

[0038] The driving force conversion mechanism 80 is a device that converts a first driving force along the vertical direction VD generated by the cutting blade moving mechanism 40 into a second driving force in the conveying direction TD, and moves the positioning unit 70 along the conveying direction TD. As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the driving force conversion mechanism 80 has a connecting member 81 and a support member 82.

[0039] The connecting member 81 is a plate-like member having a predetermined length, and a first end 81a is swingably fixed to a swing shaft 31a formed on the fixed member 31, and a second end 81b is swingably fixed to a swing shaft 71a formed on the moving member 71. The support member 82 is a member that supports the moving member 71 so that it can move along the conveying direction TD. As shown in Fig. 2, the moving member 71 is supported by a pair of support members 82 that are spaced apart in the width direction WD.

[0040] The driving force conversion mechanism 80 converts a first driving force along the vertical direction VD generated by the cutting blade moving mechanism 40 into a second driving force that moves the moving member 71 along the conveyance direction TD via a connecting member 81 and a support member 82. As shown in Figures 1 and 3, when the upper blade 10 is in a non-cutting position in the vertical direction VD, the driving force conversion mechanism 80 moves the moving member 71 of the positioning unit 70 so that the moving member 71 is positioned at a position X3 (proximate position) that is proximate to the opposing position X1.

[0041] Here, a state in which the upper blade 10 is in the cutting position will be described with reference to Figures 5 and 6. Figure 5 is a side view showing the cutting device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention, showing the state in which the upper blade 10 is in the cutting position. Figure 6 is a plan view of the cutting device 100 shown in Figure 5, seen from above.

[0042] When cutting the fore edge Bb of the paper stack B, the cutter blade movement mechanism 40 moves the pressing unit 30 downward in the vertical direction VD so that the upper blade 10 moves from the non-cutting position shown in Fig. 3 to the cutting position shown in Fig. 5. As shown in Fig. 5, when the upper blade 10 passes through the fore edge Bb and reaches the cutting position, a portion of the fore edge Bb is cut off and cutting chips C are removed.

[0043] When the upper blade 10 is at the cutting position in the vertical direction VD, the driving force conversion mechanism 80 moves the movable member 71 of the positioning unit 70 so that the movable member 71 is located at a position X6 (retracted position) upstream in the conveying direction TD of a position X3 where the movable member 71 is closer to the opposing position X1. As shown in Fig. 5, the position X6 where the movable member 71 is located is a position where a position X7 of the downstream end of the contact member 72 is located upstream in the conveying direction TD of a position X8 of the upstream end of the upper blade 10.

[0044] 1 and 2, when the upper blade 10 is in the non-cutting position, the drive force conversion mechanism 80 moves the sheet stack guide 55 along the conveying direction TD so that the downstream end of the sheet stack guide 55 in the conveying direction TD is located at position X9 (first position) close to the opposing position X1. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, when the upper blade 10 is in the cutting position, the drive force conversion mechanism 80 moves the sheet stack guide 55 along the conveying direction TD so that the downstream end of the sheet stack guide 55 in the conveying direction TD is located at position X10 (second position) upstream of position X9 in the conveying direction TD.

[0045] Next, a cutting method executed by the cutting device 100 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 7 and 8. Figure 7 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the cutting device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8 is a flowchart showing the cutting method executed by the cutting device 100 of this embodiment. Each process shown in Figure 8 is executed by the control unit 90.

[0046] 7 is a device that controls each part of the cutting device 100. The control part 90 has a conveyance control part 91, a cutting control part 92, and a positioning control part 93. The conveyance control part 91 controls the first conveyance belt 51 and the second conveyance belt 52 of the conveyance part 50. The cutting control part 92 controls the cutting blade moving mechanism 40. The positioning control part 93 controls the drive mechanism 73.

[0047] Next, the process executed by the control unit 90 will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 8. In step S101, the conveyance control unit 91 controls the first conveyance belt 51 and the second conveyance belt 52 to convey the sheet stack B supplied from the upstream side of the first conveyance belt 51 until it contacts the stopper 60, as shown in Fig. 1.

[0048] In step S102, the positioning control unit 93 moves the contact member 72 relative to the moving member 71 in the transport direction TD, as shown in FIG. 3, to position the sheet stack B at the stop position X2 where the stopper 60 is located.

[0049] In step S103, the cutting control unit 92 controls the cutting blade moving mechanism 40 to move the upper blade 10 from the non-cutting position to the cutting position. When the upper blade 10 moves from the non-cutting position to the cutting position, the state changes from that shown in FIG. 3 to that shown in FIG. 5, and the fore edge Bb of the paper stack B is cut by the upper blade 10 and the lower blade 20.

[0050] In step S104, the driving force conversion mechanism 80 converts the first driving force in the vertical direction VD generated by the cutting blade moving mechanism 40 into a second driving force in the conveying direction TD, and moves the positioning unit 70 from position X3 (proximity position) to position X6 (retraction position).

[0051] In step S105, the cutting control unit 92 controls the cutting blade moving mechanism 40 to move the upper blade 10 from the cutting position to the non-cutting position. When the upper blade 10 moves from the cutting position to the non-cutting position, the state shown in FIG. 5 changes to the state shown in FIG.

[0052] In step S106, the driving force conversion mechanism 80 converts the first driving force in the vertical direction VD generated by the cutting blade moving mechanism 40 into a second driving force in the conveying direction TD, and moves the positioning unit 70 from position X6 (retracted position) to position X3 (proximity position).

[0053] In step S107, the conveyance control unit 91 controls the second conveyor belt 52 to discharge the sheet stack B with the edge Bb cut. Prior to discharging the sheet stack B, the control unit 90 controls the stopper movement mechanism 62 to move the upper end of the stopper member 61 in the vertical direction VD to a retracted position without protruding from above the second conveyor belt 52.

[0054] In step S108, the control section 90 determines whether or not to continue the cutting process of the sheet stack B. If YES, the control section 90 executes the processes from step S101 onwards again, and if NO, the control section 90 ends the process of this flowchart.

[0055] The following describes the actions and effects of the cutting device 100 of this embodiment. With the cutting device 100 of this embodiment, the sheet stack B, whose downstream end in the conveying direction TD has been abutted against the stopper 60 by the conveying unit 50, is positioned by the positioning unit 70 so that it contacts the stopper 60. Then, the fore-edge portion Bb of the sheet stack B, which is positioned at the opposing position X1 where the upper blade 10 and the lower blade 20 face each other, is cut when the upper blade 10 moves from the non-cutting position to the cutting position.

[0056] According to cutting device 100 of this embodiment, drive force conversion mechanism 80 converts the first drive force in the vertical direction VD generated by cutting blade movement mechanism 40 into a second drive force in the transport direction TD, so that when the first drive force moves upper blade 10 from the non-cutting position to the cutting position, positioning unit 70 moves from position X3 (proximate position) to position X6 (retracted position), reliably preventing upper blade 10 from contacting positioning unit 70. Therefore, according to cutting device 100 of this embodiment, cutting is performed with stack of sheets B positioned, and it is possible to appropriately prevent the cutting blade from contacting other components and causing the device to malfunction.

[0057] According to the cutting device 100 of this embodiment, when the upper blade 10 is in the non-cutting position, the downstream end of the paper stack guide 55 in the transport direction TD is located at position X9 (first position) close to the opposing position X1, so the guide surface Gs can support the paper stack B transported by the transport unit 50, allowing the paper stack B to be reliably transported. Furthermore, when the upper blade 10 is in the cutting position, the downstream end of the paper stack guide 55 in the transport direction TD is located at position X10 (second position), which is upstream of position X9 (first position) in the transport direction TD, so it is possible to reliably avoid contact of the upper blade 10 with the paper stack guide 55 when moving from the non-cutting position to the cutting position.

[0058] Furthermore, according to the cutting device 100 of this embodiment, by converting the first driving force in the vertical direction VD generated by the cutting blade moving mechanism 40 into a second driving force in the transport direction TD and moving the moving member 71 along the transport direction TD, it is possible to reliably prevent the upper blade 10 from contacting the positioning unit 70 when the upper blade 10 moves from the non-cutting position to the cutting position. Furthermore, by moving the contact member 72 along the transport direction TD relative to the moving member 71, it is possible to move the contact member 72 along the transport direction TD at the positioning unit 70 located at position X3 (proximate position), and position the sheet stack B so that it contacts the stopper 60.

[0059] 10 Upper blade (first blade) 20 Lower blade (second blade) 30 Pressing section 31 Fixed member 31a Oscillating shaft 32 Pressing member 33 Connecting member 34 Spring 40 Cutting blade moving mechanism (first moving mechanism) 50 Conveying section 51 First conveying belt 52 Second conveying belt 55 Paper stack guiding section 60 Stopper 61 Stopper member 62 Stopper moving mechanism 70 Positioning section 71 Moving member 71a Oscillating shaft 72 Contact member 72a Oscillating shaft 73 Driving mechanism 80 Driving force converting mechanism (second moving mechanism) 81 Connecting member 82 Support member 90 Control section 91 Conveying control section 92 Cutting control section 93 Positioning control section 100 Cutting device B Paper stack Ba Folding section Bb Fore-edge section C Cutting chips Gs Guideway HD Horizontal direction TD Conveying direction VD Vertical direction WD Width direction X Axis

Claims

1. A first blade; a second blade fixed at a predetermined position; a first movement mechanism that generates a first driving force that moves the tip of the first blade in a predetermined direction between a non-cutting position spaced apart from the second blade and a cutting position past the second blade; a transport unit that transports a stack of paper along a transport direction that intersects with the predetermined direction toward an opposing position where the first blade and the second blade face each other in the predetermined direction; a stopper against which the downstream end of the stack of paper transported by the transport unit in the transport direction abuts; and a positioning unit that positions the stack of paper by pressing a fore-edge portion located at the upstream end of the stack of paper in the transport direction along the transport direction to bring the stack of paper into contact with the stopper. a second moving mechanism that converts the first driving force generated by the first moving mechanism into a second driving force in the conveying direction, and moves the positioning unit along the conveying direction by the second driving force so that when the first blade is in the non-cutting position, the positioning unit is positioned at a proximity position close to the opposing position, and when the first blade is in the cutting position, the positioning unit is positioned at a retracted position upstream of the proximity position in the conveying direction.

2. A cutting device as described in claim 1, which is provided with a paper stack guide section that is arranged alongside the conveying section in a width direction perpendicular to the conveying direction and that forms a guide surface that supports the paper stack and guides it along the conveying direction, and wherein the second movement mechanism moves the paper stack guide section along the conveying direction by the second driving force so that when the first blade is in the non-cutting position, the downstream end of the paper stack guide section in the conveying direction is positioned at a first position close to the opposing position, and when the first blade is in the cutting position, the downstream end of the paper stack guide section in the conveying direction is positioned at a second position that is upstream of the first position in the conveying direction.

3. A cutting device as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the positioning section has a moving member that moves along the transport direction by the second moving mechanism, a contact member that contacts the edge portion of the paper stack, and a drive mechanism that moves the contact member along the transport direction relative to the moving member.

4. The cutting device according to claim 3, wherein the retracted position is a position where the contact member is spaced upstream of the first blade in the conveying direction.

5. A cutting method for cutting a stack of paper sheets using a cutting device, the cutting device having: a first blade; a second blade fixed at a predetermined position; a conveying section that conveys the stack of paper sheets along a conveying direction that intersects with the predetermined direction toward an opposing position where the first blade and the second blade face each other in the predetermined direction; a stopper against which the downstream end of the stack of paper sheets conveyed by the conveying section in the conveying direction abuts; and a positioning section that positions the stack of paper sheets by pressing a fore-edge portion located at the upstream end of the stack of paper sheets in the conveying direction along the conveying direction to bring the stack of paper sheets into contact with the stopper; and a cutting process that generates a first driving force that moves the tip of the first blade in the predetermined direction between a non-cutting position spaced apart from the second blade and a cutting position past the second blade, thereby cutting the stack of paper sheets. a moving process of converting the first driving force generated by the cutting process into a second driving force in the conveying direction, and moving the positioning unit along the conveying direction by the second driving force so that when the first blade is in the non-cutting position, the positioning unit is positioned at a proximity position close to the opposing position, and when the first blade is in the cutting position, the positioning unit is positioned at a retracted position upstream of the proximity position in the conveying direction.

Images