JP7603394B2 - Coupling device for use in image creation and cropping device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a coupling device, in particular to a coupling device for use in an image creation and cutting device.

The image creation and cutting device has an ink head for printing on media such as recording paper, and a cutting head for cutting the media. The ink head and cutting head are configured to be freely connected and separated via a connecting device made up of magnets.

The cutting head is configured to be able to move independently on the linear rail via a wire driven by a drive motor, and the ink head is connected to the cutting head via a connector, allowing it to move on the linear rail together with the cutting head.

When creating an image, the cutting head and ink head are connected and the cutting head and ink head are moved while printing onto the media. When cutting, the cutting head and ink head are separated and only the cutting head is moved while cutting onto the media.

The connecting device is composed of a magnet placed on one of the cutting head and ink head, and a metal plate placed on the other head. The heads are connected by attracting the magnet to the metal plate. The heads are separated by supplying a predetermined amount of current to the drive motor, which moves the cutting head against the attractive force of the magnet via a wire, separating the ink head from the cutting head (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2017-74634 A

If the contact surfaces (adhesive surfaces) of the magnet on one head and the metal plate on the other head are in a good opposing state, for example parallel to each other, the two heads are well connected by the magnetic attraction. In other words, the ink head and the cutting head are joined with good connecting force. However, if one contact surface is not in a good opposing state to the other contact surface, for example if the contact surfaces are not parallel to each other and form an angle, the angle is not corrected because the two heads are configured to slide on the rails, and even if the magnetic attraction is sufficient, there is a problem that the connecting force between the heads is weak. If the connecting force is weak, the two heads may be unintentionally separated during operation of the image creation and cutting device, causing problems in normal operation.

In other words, it is currently difficult to make the contact surface of the magnet with the sheet metal and the contact surface of the sheet metal with the magnet perfectly parallel for manufacturing and installation reasons. On the other hand, even if the contact surfaces are at a slight angle, sufficient connecting force can be obtained by increasing the magnetic attraction force of the magnet, but increasing the magnetic attraction force increases the cost of the magnet and the weight of the head, making it impractical.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above problems, and its purpose is to provide a connection device that ensures good connection between the cutting head and the ink head even when the respective attraction surfaces of the magnet and the metal plate are not parallel.

The connecting device used in the image creating and cutting device according to the present invention has an ink head movably disposed on an extended rail, a cutting head juxtaposed to the ink head on the rail in the extending direction of the rail and movably disposed on the rail, a magnet installed on one side of the ink head on the cutting head side or the ink head side of the cutting head , and a magnetic member installed on the other side of the ink head on the ink head side or the cutting head side of the ink head, and the ink head is connected to the ink head by attracting and separating the magnet and the magnetic member. A connecting device used in an image creating and cutting device for connecting and separating a head and a cutting head is provided with a deformable variable member interposed between the ink head or the cutting head and the magnet, or between the cutting head or the ink head and the magnetized member, and the deformable member is characterized in that when the adsorption surface of the magnet or the magnetized member is attached at an angle θ rather than perpendicular to the movement direction of the cutting head and the ink head, the deformable member deforms to match the angle θ and angles the magnet or the magnetized member .

According to the connecting device used in the image creating and cutting device , when the ink head and cutting head moving on the rail are connected by the attraction between the magnet installed on the ink head or cutting head and the magnetic member installed on the cutting head or ink head, the presence of the variable member between the ink head or cutting head and the magnet , or between the cutting head or ink head and the magnetic member, always ensures a good state of attraction. For example, even in a situation where the attracted portions of the magnet and the magnetic member are not reliably in a good opposing state, the variable member deforms during attraction, changing to a good opposing state, and the attracted state is stabilized in a good state.
In other words, when the adsorption surface of the magnet or magnetizable member is attached at an angle θ to the moving direction of the cutting head and ink head rather than perpendicular to it, the deformable member deforms to match the angle θ and angles the magnet or magnetizable member, thereby achieving a good adsorption state between the magnet and the magnetizable member.
The variable member can be composed of various objects and mechanisms.

According to the connecting device of the present invention, the first and second members that slide on the rails always exert a good connecting force due to the magnets arranged on the first member and the magnetic member arranged on the second member, so that the image creation and cutting device using this can be operated in a stable connected state, thereby improving stability and reliability.

1 is a schematic diagram of an image creating and cutting device according to a first embodiment of a coupling device of the present invention; FIG. 2 is an illustration of an ink head and a cutting head of the imaging and cutting device of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the ink head and the cutting head of FIG. 2 . FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a case where the ink head and the cutting head in FIG. 2 are connected. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a second embodiment of the connecting device of the present invention, in which an ink head and a cutting head are connected to each other; FIG.

The following describes in detail the coupling device of the present invention, which is used in an image creation and cutting device, with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 relates to a first embodiment of the coupling device of the present invention, and is a schematic diagram of an image creation and cutting device 10 that employs the coupling device of the present invention. The image creation and cutting device 10 has an ink head 28 for printing on media 26, such as recording paper, and a cutting head 24 for cutting the recording paper after printing. In this embodiment, the ink head 28 is assumed to be the first member, and the cutting head 24 is assumed to be the second member.

The image creation and cutting device 10 includes a base member 14 supported by a base member 12 and extending in the main scanning direction.

A left side member 16L and a right side member 16R are disposed on the left and right ends of the base member 14, respectively, and a guide rail 20 is disposed on the wall surface of a central wall 18 that connects the left side member 16L and the right side member 16R, extending in the main scanning direction.

A wire 22 is arranged parallel to the wall surface of the central wall 18 so as to be movable in the main scanning direction, and a cutting head 24 is fixed to the wire 22 and arranged so as to be slidable on the guide rail 20. The movement of the wire 22 is controlled by a drive motor 44.

The cutting head 24 is therefore configured to be movable in the main scanning direction on the guide rail 20 via the wire 22 by the drive motor 44.

Furthermore, an ink head 28 is disposed to the right of the cutting head 24 so as to be freely slidable on the guide rail 20, and the cutting head 24 and the ink head 28 are configured to be freely connected and separated via a connecting device 30.

The cutting head 24 and the ink head 28 are arranged to face the sheet 26, which is the media, located on the base member 14.

The overall operation of the image creation and cutting device 10 described above is controlled by a microcomputer (not shown) mounted in the right side member 16R, and the sheet 26 is transported from the rear side to the front side in the sub-scanning direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction in FIG. 1.

Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a coupling device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The diagram is a top view of the image creating and cutting device 10, and does not show the connection between the ink head 28 and the cutting head 24 and the wire 22 and the guide rail 20. Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a coupling device 30. The coupling device 30 is composed of a magnet 32, a metal plate 34 which is a magnetic material, and a rubber member 36. The rubber member 36 is a deformable, variable member composed of an elastic member. In this embodiment, the ink head 28 is assumed to be the first member, and the cutting head 24 is assumed to be the second member.

In this embodiment, the magnet 32 is disposed to the left of the ink head 28, and the metal plate 34 is disposed to the right of the cutting head 24, with a rubber member 36 attached between the magnet 32 and the ink head 28. That is, the magnet 32 is installed on the second member (cutting head 24) side of the first member (ink head 28), and the metal plate 34, which is a magnetic member, is installed on the first member (ink head 28) side of the second member (cutting head 24).

The magnet 32 is a cylindrical permanent magnet, and a neodymium magnet is suitable. Its size is smaller than the left side surface of the ink head 28, and its thickness is approximately 5 mm. A hole 32a is formed in the center of the magnet 32, and a male screw 38 is passed through this hole 32a. This male screw 38 screws into a female screw 28b formed on the left side surface of the ink head 28, and the magnet 32 is fixed to the ink head 28. The head of the male screw 38 is configured to be flush with the attraction surface 32b of the magnet 32.

The metal plate 34 is a rectangular flat plate that is larger than the magnet 32, is made of a material that can be attracted (magnetized) to the magnet 32, and is positioned opposite the attraction surface 32b of the magnet 32. The metal plate 34 is attached to the right side surface of the cutting head 24, and this attachment is performed using a normal fixing method such as screw fixing or adhesive fixing. Although not shown in the present embodiment, the metal plate 34 is fixed to the right side surface of the cutting head 24 with a screw.

The rubber member 36 as an elastic member is annular, smaller than the diameter of the magnet 32, and has an elastic modulus selected so that it can be easily deformed. More specifically, it has an inner diameter the same as the outer diameter of the male screw 38 that is threaded through the magnet 32, and the outer diameter is about 5 mm.

Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the state before and after the ink head 28 and cutting head 24 are connected. Figure 4(a) shows the state before connection, and Figure 4(b) shows the state after connection. Here, as an example, the magnet 32 is correctly attached to the left side surface 28a of the ink head 28, i.e., the attraction surface 32b of the magnet 32 is attached perpendicular to the main scanning direction, but the attraction surface 34a of the metal plate 34 of the cutting head 24 is attached at an angle θ to the main scanning direction, rather than perpendicular to it.

In such a case, if the rubber member 36 of the present invention were not present, the attraction surface 32b of the magnet 32 and the attraction surface 34a of the metal sheet 34 would not be parallel, and although the magnet 32 and part of the metal sheet 34 would be attracted to each other, a gap would remain between the magnet 32 and the metal sheet 34. In such a situation, even if the magnet 32 has sufficient attraction force, the magnet 32 and the metal sheet 34 are in a state of point or line contact, so the attraction force between the magnet 32 and the metal sheet 34 is weak, i.e., the connection force between the ink head 28 and the cutting head 24 is weak, and the image creation and cutting device 10 does not operate normally.

In the connection device 30 of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 4(b), the rubber member 36 inserted on the side opposite to the attraction surface 32b of the magnet 32 deforms the rubber member 36 so that the attraction surface 32b of the magnet 32 and the attraction surface 34a of the metal plate 34 are parallel to each other. Therefore, the contact area between the magnet 32 and the metal plate 34 increases, and the connection force between the cutting head 24 and the ink head 28 becomes stronger. That is, the rubber member 36 deforms according to the above-mentioned angle θ, and the magnet 32 is angled so that the attraction surface 32b of the magnet 32 and the attraction surface 34a of the metal plate 34 become parallel to each other. Therefore, the connection force between the ink head 28 and the cutting head 24 is always maintained in a good state.

According to the connecting device 30 of this embodiment, the magnet 32 is fixed to the ink head 28 with a rubber member 36 sandwiched between them and screwed. Therefore, since the rubber member 36 is fixed at the center, the magnet 32 can be displaced in the main scanning direction at any angle over 360 degrees around the male screw 38 as viewed in the main scanning direction, and the attraction surface 32b of the magnet 32 can be easily made parallel to the attraction surface 34a of the metal plate 34. Therefore, the connection force between the ink head 28 and the cutting head 24 is always maintained in a good condition.

In particular, the outer diameter of the rubber member 36, which is a deformable and elastic member, is set to be smaller than the diameter of the magnet 32, so the entire rubber member 36 deforms. Therefore, compared to when the outer diameter of the rubber member 36 is the same as or larger than the outer diameter of the magnet 32, the amount of displacement in the main scanning direction can be made larger, making it easier to set an angle using the magnet 32. This allows the attraction surface 32b of the magnet 32 and the attraction surface 34a of the metal plate 34 to be connected in a parallel state to each other.

Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a second embodiment of the coupling device of the present invention. The difference from the first embodiment is that the rubber member 36, which is an elastic member, is attached to the metal plate 34 side instead of the magnet 32 side.

In this embodiment, the rubber member 36 is flat and is adhesively fixed to the right side surface 24a of the cutting head 24. The metal plate 34 is adhesively fixed to the rubber member 36. The rubber member 36 has an appropriately selected elastic modulus and is smaller in size than the metal plate 34, so that it is configured to be able to absorb the displacement applied to the metal plate 34 from the main scanning direction.

Even with this configuration, for example as shown in FIG. 5(a), even if the magnet 32 is attached at an angle to the left side surface 28a of the ink head 28, the rubber member 36 on the opposite side of the adsorption surface 34a of the metal plate 34 absorbs the inclination, and the adsorption surface 32b of the magnet 32 and the adsorption surface 34a of the metal plate 34 deform so that they become parallel. Therefore, the connection force between the cutting head 24 and the ink head 28 is good.

In addition, because the size of the rubber member 36 is smaller than the metal plate 34, the entire rubber member 36 deforms, and the amount of displacement in the main scanning direction can be increased, making it easier to set an angle using the metal plate 34. This allows the attraction surface 32b of the magnet 32 and the attraction surface 34a of the metal plate 34 to be connected in a parallel state.

Although not shown in the embodiment, a good connection force between the first and second members can also be achieved by using a plastic resin such as sponge as the deformable member instead of a rubber member, which is an elastic member.

Although not shown in the embodiment, various mechanisms can be used instead of the deformable member interposed between the first member and the magnet or between the second member and the magnetizable member. For example, the magnet can be installed on the first member using a mechanism that flexibly supports the magnet. The metal plate of the magnetizable member can also be installed on the second member using a mechanism that flexibly supports the metal plate. Even with this configuration, a good connecting force between the first member and the second member can be obtained. Examples of such mechanisms include a swing support mechanism and a point support mechanism.

In this embodiment, a rubber material, which is an elastic material, is used as the deformable member, but as mentioned above, it is also possible to use other materials such as a resin sponge.

In this embodiment, the ink head 28 is the first member and the cutting head 24 is the second member, but the cutting head 24 may be the first member and the ink head 28 may be the second member. Also, the magnet 32 is attached to the ink head 28, but it may be attached to the cutting head 24.

That is, the first member corresponds to either the ink head 28 or the cutting head 24, and the second member corresponds to the other of the ink head 28 or the cutting head 24.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the elastic member as the deformable member is exemplified as a circular rubber member and a flat rubber member, but is not limited to these. The shape may also be pentagonal or hexagonal. The magnet is also cylindrical, but is not limited to this and may be flat.

10 Image creation and cutting device 12 Base member 14 Base member 16L Left side member 16R Right side member 18 Central wall 20 Guide rail 22 Wire 24 Cutting head (second member)
26 Media (recording paper)
28 Ink head (first member)
28a Left side portion 28b Female screw 30 Connection device 32 Magnet 34 Metal plate (magnetic member)
36 Rubber member (deformable member, elastic member)
44 Drive motor

Claims (5)

a cutting head arranged on said rail in a juxtaposed relationship with said ink head in the extending direction of said rail and arranged movably on said rail; a magnet provided on one side of said ink head or said ink head side of said cutting head; and a magnetic member provided on the other side of said ink head or said ink head side of said cutting head, said connecting device being used in an image creating and cutting device for connecting and separating said ink head and said cutting head by attracting and separating said magnet and said magnetic member,
a deformable member interposed between the ink head or the cutting head and the magnet, or between the cutting head or the ink head and the magnetizable member,
A connecting device for an image creating and cutting device, characterized in that when the adhesive surface of the magnet or the magnetizable member is attached at an angle θ to the moving direction of the cutting head and the ink head rather than perpendicular to the moving direction of the cutting head and the ink head, the deformable member deforms to match the angle θ and angles the magnet or the magnetizable member. The coupling device for use in the image creation and cutting device according to claim 1, characterized in that the deformable member is made of an elastic member. A coupling device for use with an image creation and cutting device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the outer diameter of the deformable member is smaller than the outer diameter of the magnet or the magnetic member. The connecting device used in the image creation and cutting device described in claim 1 or 2 is characterized in that the magnetic member has a flat plate-shaped portion arranged opposite the attraction surface of the magnet, and the size of the flat plate-shaped portion of the magnetic member is set to be larger than the size of the magnet. 3. A connecting device for use in an image creation and cutting device as described in claim 2, characterized in that the magnet is fixed to the ink head side of the cutting head or the cutting head side of the ink head by a fastening member at the center of the elastic member, and the fastening member is positioned so that its upper end does not protrude from the attraction surface of the magnet .

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