JP6637799B2 - Cutting plotter and method for controlling cutting-out amount of cutting plotter - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a cutting plotter for cutting a medium to be cut, and a method for controlling the amount of blade of the cutting plotter.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when a sheet-shaped medium to be cut is cut into a predetermined shape, a cutting plotter is used, for example, as described in Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2. This type of cutting plotter employs a configuration in which a medium to be cut is cut using a cutting pen with a protruding blade.

  The cutting pen disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a cylindrical cutting pen body, a cutter provided at the center of the cutting pen body, and a bottomed cylindrical cap screwed to one end of the cutting pen body. And The cutter has a blade at one end, and the blade is rotatably supported by the cutting pen body with the blade protruding from one end of the cutting pen body. At the bottom of the cap, a through-hole for passing the blade of the cutter is provided. When the cap is screwed into the cutting pen body, the blade is passed through the through hole of the cap and protrudes from the cap.

  This cutting pen is used with the blade protruding from the cap. The amount of protrusion of the blade protruding from the cap is changed by turning the cap with respect to the cutting pen body. In the following, the amount of protrusion of the blade protruding from the cap is simply referred to as the "blade amount".

  The adjustment of the blade length is performed by using a jig fitted to the cap and rotating the cap with respect to the cutting pen body together with the jig. The jig is provided with an index for matching with a mark for each blade amount provided on the cutting pen body. By turning the jig to a position where this index is aligned with the mark on the cutting pen body, the blade protrudes from the cap with a blade amount corresponding to the mark.

  The cutting pen described in Patent Literature 2 is capable of changing the blade amount while being attached to a cutting plotter. The cap of the cutting pen is provided with a pinion gear. The pinion gear is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cap so as to extend in the circumferential direction.

  In this cutting pen, the adjustment of the blade length is performed by moving the cutting pen along the rack while the pinion gear meshes with the rack of the cutting plotter. The rack is provided on a projection of the cutting plotter. The protrusion is formed at the same height as the cutting pen, and is arranged near the work stage on which the medium to be cut is placed.

JP 2013-78813 A JP-A-11-10595

  The cutting plotter disclosed in Patent Literature 1 does not have a function of automatically adjusting the blade length. In the cutting pen used in the cutting plotter, the blade amount is adjusted by the user turning the cap together with the jig by hand and adjusting the index of the jig to the mark on the cutting pen body. In such a cutting pen, since the user visually judges whether or not the index matches the mark, the position at which the jig stops is inaccurate, and the accuracy of the blade amount is reduced. Would.

  In the cutting plotter shown in Patent Literature 2, the cutting pen is pressed against the protruding rack when adjusting the blade length. Since the projection is provided near the work stage, it hinders the user from placing the medium to be cut on the work stage or taking out the medium to be cut after processing.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve such a problem, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a cutting plotter which can accurately adjust a blade amount without depending on a user's judgment and can open a work stage widely. This is the first purpose. It is a second object of the present invention to provide a method for controlling the amount of blade of a cutting plotter in which the amount of blade can be accurately adjusted by pressing the cutting plotter against a pressed portion having the same height as the work stage.

  In order to achieve this object, a cutting plotter according to the present invention has a work stage on which a sheet-shaped medium to be cut is placed, and is movably held along the main surface of the medium to be cut above the work stage. A pen carriage, a driving device for driving the pen carriage, a cutting pen having a blade for cutting the medium to be cut, and supported by the pen carriage movably in a direction perpendicular to the main surface, A pressing device that is provided on the pen carriage and presses the cutting pen against a medium to be cut with a predetermined pressing force; the work stage has a knock portion having a hole into which the blade can be inserted; The pen has an attached portion attached to the pen carriage, and is a cutting pen formed in a cylindrical shape and having a blade protruding from one end in the longitudinal direction. A body, and a cap portion having a through-hole through which the blade passes, wherein the cap portion protrudes from the one end portion of the cutting pen body and is inserted into the cutting pen body in a longitudinal direction of the cutting pen body. A medium pressing member movably inserted in the cutting pen body, and the medium pressing member provided in the cutting pen main body, wherein the medium pressing member repeatedly reciprocates in the longitudinal direction with respect to the cutting pen main body, and the medium with respect to the cutting pen main body. A knock mechanism for changing the position of the pressing member in the longitudinal direction in a stepwise manner.

  The present invention, in the cutting plotter, further includes a control device that controls the operation of the driving device and the pressing device, the control device is input data that can specify the amount of blade, and the The pressing device may include a pressing control unit that controls the operation of the pressing device so that the protruding amount becomes a protruding amount corresponding to the thickness of the medium to be cut.

  According to the present invention, in the cutting plotter, the knock mechanism rotates by a predetermined angle by converting a reciprocating operation of the medium pressing member in the longitudinal direction into a rotational operation about an axis extending in the longitudinal direction. A rotating body that changes its position in the longitudinal direction with respect to the cutting pen body with this rotation, and the medium pressing member is configured such that movement of the cutting pen body to the other end side is regulated by the rotating body. It may move in the longitudinal direction integrally with the rotating body.

  According to the present invention, in the cutting plotter, the rotating body is further urged toward one end of the cutting pen main body, and the medium pressing member moves toward the other end relative to the cutting pen main body by a cutting operation. And a second spring member for urging the medium pressing member toward the other end and pressing the medium pressing member against the rotating body.

According to the present invention, in the cutting plotter, the cutting pen body has a cylindrical portion located on the same axis as the rotating body, and the cylindrical portions are arranged in a circumferential direction and the position in the longitudinal direction is stepwise. A plurality of sawtooth-shaped teeth that change, and each of the teeth has a positioning surface that is gradually inclined toward the one end as it goes toward one of the circumferential directions, and a guide surface that extends in the longitudinal direction. And among these teeth, the tooth at the lowest position of the step constituted by the plurality of sawtooth-shaped teeth and the tooth at the highest position of the step are adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction, The medium pressing member has a plurality of cams arranged in the circumferential direction, and these cams have a cam surface that is gradually inclined toward the one end as it goes toward one of the circumferential directions. The rotating body is pressed against the positioning surface from the other end by the spring force of the first spring member, and the cam surface is pressed from the one end by the spring force of the second spring member. A connecting piece, wherein the medium pressing member moves toward the other end with respect to the cutting pen main body, whereby the connecting piece is pushed by the cam surface and the other end along the guide surface. Side, and may move in one of the circumferential directions along the cam surface and the positioning surface in a state of being over the tip of the guide surface.

  According to the present invention, in the cutting plotter, a stopper protruding in the longitudinal direction is provided at the one end of the cutting pen main body, and a tip of the stopper and a protruding stop from the cutting pen main body in the longitudinal direction are stopped. The distance between the tip of the cap portion in the natural state is shorter than the height difference between the tooth at the lowest position of the stairs and the tooth at the highest position of the stairs, and in the middle of the stairs. Longer than the height difference between adjacent teeth, the knocking portion has a first knocking portion having a flat surface on which a hole through which the blade can be inserted is opened and the cap portion and the stopper come into contact with each other; A second knocking portion having a flat surface with which a hole through which the stopper can be inserted and which has a flat surface with which the cap portion abuts is formed. It may be.

  According to the present invention, in the cutting pen, the plurality of sawtooth-shaped teeth may be provided in a plurality of regions dividing the cylindrical portion in a circumferential direction, and the connecting piece may be provided for each of the regions. .

  The cutting amount control method for a cutting plotter according to the present invention includes a cutting pen body having a blade protruding from one end, a through-hole through which the blade passes, and movably held by the one end of the cutting pen body. A cutting pen provided with a cap portion for pressing the medium moves along the work stage in a state where the cutting pen is attached to the pen carriage, and faces a knocking portion for changing the blade amount having a hole in which the blade can be inserted. A first knocking step in which the cap portion is pressed against the knocking portion and the cutting pen body moves toward the knocking portion with respect to the cap portion; and A second knocking step that moves to a side opposite to the knocking part with respect to the part, wherein the first knocking step and The amount of protrusion of the blade protruding from the cap portion by serial and second knock steps are repeatedly performed is a method characterized by changing in steps.

  According to the present invention, in the cutting amount control method of the cutting plotter, the first and second knocking steps are repeatedly performed a predetermined number of times so that the moving amount of the cutting pen body becomes a predetermined short moving amount. After the first initialization step and the first initialization step, the first and second knocking steps are performed only once so that the movement amount of the cutting pen body becomes a predetermined long movement amount. A second initialization step to be performed, and after the second initialization step, the first and second knocking steps are performed by the number of times that the amount of the blade corresponds to the thickness of the medium to be cut. Amount setting step.

  Changing the position of the medium pressing member with respect to the cutting pen main body in the longitudinal direction of the cutting pen main body means that the blade projection amount, which is the amount of protrusion of the blade protruding from the cap portion, changes. In the present invention, the amount of blade is defined based on the number of reciprocating movements of the medium pressing member with respect to the cutting pen body. This reciprocating operation is performed as a knocking operation in which the cutting pen body approaches the pressed portion against which the cap portion is pressed, and then returns to the initial position.

  For this reason, the pressing device of the cutting plotter performs the above-described knocking operation the number of times that achieves the desired blade amount, whereby the blade amount is accurately adjusted without depending on the user's judgment. The knock portion can be formed at the same height as the work stage by using a part of the work stage, so that the knock portion does not hinder the work of taking the medium to be cut into and out of the work stage.

  Therefore, according to the present invention, there is provided a cutting plotter in which the blade amount can be accurately adjusted without depending on visual judgment of an operator, and furthermore, this adjustment can be performed in a state where a work stage is widely opened. Can be provided.

According to the cutting amount control method of the cutting plotter according to the present invention, the first knocking step and the second knocking step are repeatedly performed, so that the protrusion amount of the cap portion projecting from the cutting pen main body is stepwise. And the blade amount changes stepwise.
Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a cutting amount control method for a cutting plotter in which the cutting amount is accurately adjusted by pressing the cutting plotter against a knock portion having the same height as the work stage.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cutting plotter to which a cutting pen according to the present invention is attached. FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing the pen carriage. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the cutting pen. FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the cutting pen. FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the cutting pen body. FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the medium pressing member. FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the knock mechanism. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of the knock mechanism. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the knock mechanism. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the knock mechanism. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the knock mechanism. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the knock mechanism. FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the knock mechanism. FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the knock mechanism. FIG. 16 is an enlarged perspective view showing the first knock portion. FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing the second and third knock portions in an enlarged manner. FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system. FIG. 19 is a flow chart for explaining a method for controlling the amount of blade of a cutting plotter according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a cutting plotter 1 and a cutting amount method of the cutting plotter 1 according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
<Configuration of cutting plotter>
A cutting plotter 1 shown in FIG. 1 is an apparatus for cutting figures, characters, and the like from a sheet-shaped medium 3 to be cut using a cutting pen 2. The cutting plotter 1 includes an operation unit 1a located at one end in the left-right direction in FIG. 1, a cutting pen storage unit 1b located at the other end, and a space between these operation units 1a and the cutting pen storage unit 1b. A work unit 1c is provided, and an openable / closable cover 1d for covering these functional units is provided.

  The cutting plotter 1 is used in a form in which an operation unit 1a and a cutting pen storage unit 1b are arranged in a horizontal direction, and a working unit 1c is opened upward. Hereinafter, a direction in which the operation unit 1a and the cutting pen storage unit 1b are arranged is simply referred to as a left-right direction, and a direction orthogonal to the left-right direction and the up-down direction is simply referred to as a front-back direction.

The operation unit 1a is provided with an operation panel 4 and a control device 5 (see FIG. 18). A hole 6 into which a spare cutting pen 2 is inserted is formed in the cutting pen storage unit 1b.
The work section 1c is provided with a work stage 7 on which the medium 3 to be cut is placed, a drive roller 8 and a pinch roller 9 for transporting the medium 3 to be cut, a pen carriage 10 for supporting the cutting pen 2, and the like. I have.

  The work stage 7 is formed in a plate shape extending in the horizontal direction, and is arranged at a front portion of the cutting plotter 1. At one end of the working stage 7 in the left-right direction, first to third knocking portions 11 to 13 used for changing the bladed amount of the cutting pen 2 are provided. As shown in FIG. 16, the first knocking portion 11 has a circular concave portion 14 opening on the upper surface 7 a of the work stage 7, and a pair of grooves 15 extending downward from an opening edge of the circular concave portion 14. .

  As shown in FIG. 17, the second knock portion 12 includes an upper surface 7a of the work stage 7 and small holes 16 opened in the upper surface 7a. As shown in FIG. 17, the third knock portion 13 includes an upper surface 7a of the work stage 7 and an elongated hole 17 opened in the upper surface 7a. The long hole 17 is formed long in the left-right direction. The second knocking part 12 and the third knocking part 13 are provided side by side in the left-right direction within a range where the cutting pen 2 attached to the pen carriage 10 can reach. In this embodiment, the second knock portion 12 corresponds to a “knock portion having a hole into which a blade can be inserted” according to the present invention. The use of the first to third knock portions 11, 12, 13 will be described later.

The drive roller 8 is disposed so as to cross the intermediate portion of the work stage 7 in the left-right direction, and is rotatably supported by a frame (not shown) of the cutting plotter 1.
The driving roller 8 is connected to a first driving device 22 that uses a first motor 21 (see FIG. 18) as a power source, and is driven by the first driving device 22 to rotate forward or backward. Reverse. The operation of the first motor 21 is controlled by the control device 5.

  The pinch roller 9 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and is positioned above the drive roller 8 in a state where the rotating shaft 23 penetrates. The pinch roller 9 is fixed to a rotating shaft 23. The rotating shaft 23 is arranged in parallel with the driving roller 8, and is rotatably supported by the above-described frame. The rotating shaft 23 and the driving roller 8 are arranged at positions where the medium 3 to be cut on the work stage 7 can be sandwiched between the pinch roller 9 and the driving roller 8. The medium 3 to be cut moves in the front-rear direction along the work stage 7 by the rotation of the drive roller 8 while being sandwiched between the pinch roller 9 and the drive roller 8. A roller (coil spring) 24 for pressing the medium 3 to be cut from above is provided at an intermediate portion of the rotating shaft 23.

  The pen carriage 10 is movably supported by two guide rods 25 and 26 extending in the left-right direction, and has a driving belt 27 connected thereto. The driving belt 27 forms a part of a second driving device 31 (see FIG. 18) that drives the pen carriage 10. The second driving device 31 has a second motor 32, and changes the rotation of the second motor 32 into a reciprocating motion by a driving belt 27 to drive the pen carriage 10 in the left-right direction. The operation of the second motor 32 is controlled by the control device 5.

As shown in FIG. 2, the pen carriage 10 includes first and second holders 33 and 34 for holding the cutting pen 2 and these first and second holders 33 and 34 in a vertical direction. First and second pressing devices 35 and 36 to be driven are provided. The first and second holders 33 and 34 each have a function of detachably holding the cutting pen 2.
The first pressing device 35 includes a first solenoid 37 (see FIG. 18) for pressing the first holder 33 downward, and a spring member (see FIG. 18) for urging the first holder 33 upward. (Not shown).

  The second pressing device 36 includes a second solenoid 38 for pressing the second holder 34 downward and a spring member (not shown) for urging the second holder 34 upward. Have. The first solenoid 37 and the second solenoid 38 according to this embodiment can change the pressing force in two stages. The operations of the first and second solenoids 37 and 38 are controlled by the control device 5.

As shown in FIG. 18, the control device 5 includes a cutting operation control unit 41 and a blade amount control unit 42, and is connected to the operation panel 4 and a personal computer 43 for creating cutting data. The cutting operation control unit 41 controls operations of the first and second driving devices 22 and 31 and the first and second pressing devices 35 and 36 based on the cutting data sent from the personal computer 43.
The blade amount controller 42 operates the first and second driving devices 22 and 31 and the first and second pressing devices 35 and 36 when adjusting the blade amount of the cutting pen 2 with the cutting plotter 1. Control.

<Configuration of cutting pen>
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the cutting pen 2 is formed by assembling a plurality of components to be described later with a cylindrical cutting pen body 45 having a blade 44 protruding from one end which is a lower side in these figures. ing.
Although details will be described later, the blade 44 projects from one end of the cutting pen body 45 in the vertical direction. In describing the directions below, when the direction is parallel to the vertical direction of the cutting pen body 45, it is simply referred to as the "vertical direction". Further, in describing the position below, when the position is the lower side of the cutting pen body 45, it is simply referred to as “lower side”, and in describing the position on the opposite side, simply “upper side”. That.

<Description of the cutting pen body>
As shown in FIG. 6, a cutting pen body 45 according to this embodiment includes a cylindrical cutter holding portion 46 having a blade 44 protruding from one end thereof, and a cover for closing the other end of the cutter holding portion 46. And a unit 47.
The cutter holding unit 46 has three functional units arranged in the vertical direction. These functional portions are a first tubular portion 48 formed to be the longest in the vertical direction, and a flange portion 49 and a second tubular portion 50 provided above the first tubular portion 48. .

  The first cylindrical portion 48 has a function of detachably fitting to the first and second holders 33 and 34 described above. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the first cylindrical portion 48 includes an outer cylinder 51 formed in a cylindrical shape, an inner cylinder 52 positioned at an axial center of the outer cylinder 51, and an outer cylinder 51. It is constituted by a partition plate 53 connecting the cylinder 51 and the inner cylinder 52. Two stoppers 54 are provided at one end of the outer cylinder 51. These stoppers 54 are formed in a shape in which a part of the outer cylinder 51 partially projects vertically. The stoppers 54 are provided at positions that divide the outer cylinder 51 into two equal parts in the circumferential direction.

The outer tube 51, the inner tube 52, the partition plate 53, the flange portion 49 and the second tubular portion 50, which will be described later, are integrally formed by using plastic as a material.
The inner cylinder 52 is positioned on the same axis as the outer cylinder 51 by the partition plate 53. Inside the inner cylinder 52, a cutter 55 having the above-described blade 44 is rotatably supported by bearings 56 and 57. The cutter 55 is positioned on the same axis as the outer cylinder 51 and the inner cylinder 52, and the position of the cutter 55 with respect to the first cylindrical portion 48 in the axial direction is fixed.
As shown in FIG. 5, three through holes 58 are formed in the partition plate 53. These through holes 58 are for passing three claw pieces 62 of a medium pressing member 61 (see FIG. 7) described later. These through holes 58 are formed at positions that divide the outer cylinder 51 into three equal parts in the circumferential direction.

  The flange portion 49 has a function of determining the vertical position of the cutting pen 2 with respect to the first and second holders 33, 34 when the cutting pen 2 is attached to the first and second holders 33, 34. I have. The flange portion 49 according to this embodiment has a ring shape having an outer diameter larger than that of the outer cylinder 51 and is formed in a shape that overlaps the first and second holders 33 and 34 from above. It is connected to the upper end.

  The second tubular portion 50 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and is connected to an upper end of the flange portion 49. The second tubular portion 50 has a function of supporting the cover portion 47 and a function of supporting the rotating body 64 on the same axis as a rotating body 64 of a knock mechanism 63 (see FIG. 8) described later. are doing. The outer diameter of the second cylindrical portion 50 according to this embodiment is larger than the outer diameter of the outer cylinder 51 and smaller than the outer diameter of the flange portion 49, as shown in FIG. The inner diameter of the second cylindrical portion 50 is larger than the inner diameters of the outer cylinder 51 and the flange 49. For this reason, a step portion 65 is formed at the boundary between the second tubular portion 50 and the flange portion 49, which is formed by the inner peripheral edge of the flange portion 49.

  As shown in FIG. 6, a plurality of saw-toothed teeth 66 that form a part of a knock mechanism 63 described later are formed at the upper end of the second cylindrical portion 50. These teeth 66 are provided continuously throughout the circumferential direction of the second cylindrical portion 50. Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the teeth 66 are arranged in a stepwise manner when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction. The steps 67 constituted by the plurality of teeth 66 are provided periodically and spatially in the circumferential direction at the upper end of the second tubular portion 50. In this embodiment, the steps 67 are provided in regions that divide the second tubular portion 50 into three equal parts in the circumferential direction. The steps 67 shown in FIG. 9 are each constituted by eleven teeth 66.

  The serrated teeth 66 of each step 67 have an inclined positioning surface 66a and a guide surface 66b extending vertically. The positioning surface 66a is inclined in the same direction as the stairs 67. That is, the positioning surface 66a is inclined so as to be gradually positioned lower as the height of the stairs 67 decreases (to the left in FIG. 9). The tooth 66 at the lowest position of the step 67 and the tooth 66 at the highest position of the step 67 are adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction of the second tubular portion 50. More specifically, the lowest portion of the positioning surface 66a at the lowest position of the stairs 67 is connected to the guide surface 66b of the tooth 66 at the highest position of another stair 67 adjacent to the stairs 67.

  As shown in FIG. 6, a concave portion 68 for fixing the cover portion 47 is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the second cylindrical portion 50. The cover part 47 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape that fits into the second tubular part 50. On an inner peripheral portion of the cover portion 47, a claw (not shown) which is locked in the concave portion 68 of the second tubular portion 50 is provided. The cover portion 47 is fixed to the cutter holding portion 46 by locking the claws in the concave portions 68. A through hole 69 that is long in the circumferential direction {the rotation direction of a rotating body 64 (see FIG. 8) described below} is formed in the middle part of the cover part 47 in the vertical direction.

  In the cutting pen body 45, as shown in FIG. 4, a medium pressing member 61 protruding from one end of the cutting pen body 45, a rotating body 64 vertically aligned with the medium pressing member 61, and a first rotating member 64. A spring member 71 and a second spring member 72 through which the medium pressing member 61 penetrates are housed.

<Configuration of medium pressing member>
The medium pressing member 61 according to this embodiment includes three members as shown in FIG. These three members are a cylindrical shaft portion 73 extending in the vertical direction, a cylindrical connecting portion 74 attached to the lower end of the shaft portion 73, and screwed to the connecting portion 74. A cylindrical cap portion 75 having a bottom.

At one end of the shaft portion 73, three claw pieces 62 extending in the vertical direction are provided.
These claw pieces 62 are movably fitted into the through holes 58 formed in the partition plate 53 described above. The connecting portion 74 is fixed to the shaft portion 73 by being locked in the engaging hole 74a of the connecting portion 74 with the claw pieces 62 being passed through the through holes 58, respectively. Therefore, the medium pressing member 61 cannot rotate in the circumferential direction of the shaft portion 73 with respect to the cutting pen body 45. The medium pressing member 61 is inserted into the cutting pen main body 45 so as to be vertically movable with respect to the cutting pen main body 45.
A through hole 75 a is formed in the center of the cap portion 75 to allow the blade 44 to pass therethrough.

  At the upper end of the shaft portion 73, an annular convex portion 73a having an outer diameter larger than that of the other portion of the shaft portion 73 is provided, and a plurality of cams 76 constituting a part of a knock mechanism 63 described later are provided. Is provided. As shown in FIG. 9, these cams 76 have a mountain-shaped cross section when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, and are arranged in the circumferential direction of the shaft portion 73. Each of the cams 76 has a cam surface 76a that is gradually inclined downward (downward in FIG. 9) as the stairs 67 decrease (to the left in FIG. 9). . As shown in FIG. 10, the cam surface 76a is parallel to the positioning surface 66a of the saw-toothed teeth 66 when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction, and is approximately half the top side of the cam 76 in a natural state. Are formed so as to overlap the positioning surface 66a. Here, the natural state is a state in which the cap portion 75 is not pushed upward.

<Structure of knock mechanism>
The knock mechanism 63 includes the above-described serrated teeth 66 and cams 76, a rotating body 64 described later, and first and second spring members 71 and 72. The knock mechanism 63 according to this embodiment can change the vertical position of the medium pressing member 61 stepwise by repeatedly reciprocating the medium pressing member 61 with respect to the cutting pen body 45, which will be described later in detail. .

  As shown in FIG. 8, the rotating body 64 includes a cylinder 77 and a plurality of connecting pieces 78 protruding radially outward from an outer peripheral portion of the cylinder 77. The cylinder 77 constitutes the lower end of the rotating body 64 and is formed in a shape that is movably fitted to the inner peripheral portion of the medium pressing member 61 as shown in FIG. The connecting piece 78 is provided at the upper end of the rotating body 64. The connecting piece 78 according to this embodiment is provided at a position that divides the cylinder 77 into three equal parts in the circumferential direction, and is formed in a plate shape extending radially around the cylinder 77. As shown in FIG. 10, the lower end of the connecting piece 78 is formed in a shape along the positioning surface 66a of the saw-toothed tooth 66.

  The rotating body 64 is accommodated in the cutting pen main body 45 in a state where the cylinder 77 is fitted to the medium pressing member 61 and the three connecting pieces 78 are in contact with the saw-tooth teeth 66 of the cutting pen main body 45. ing. The above-described through hole 58 of the cover portion 47 is formed at a position where the connecting piece 78 that comes into contact with the sawtooth-shaped tooth 66 is exposed. A label (not shown) forming an indicator in cooperation with the connecting piece 78 is affixed to a portion of the outer peripheral portion of the cover portion 47 along the through hole 69. On this label, a number indicating the blade length is printed.

  A reinforcing rib 79 for connecting the connecting pieces 78 in the circumferential direction of the cylinder 77 is provided at the upper end of the rotating body 64, and a ring-shaped ridge 80 located on the same axis as the cylinder 77. Is provided. The ridge 80 protrudes upward from the connecting piece 78 and the reinforcing rib 79.

  The first spring member 71 is formed by a compression coil spring, and is inserted in a compressed state between the upper end of the rotating body 64 and the bottom wall 47a of the cover 47, as shown in FIG. A cylindrical body 81 inserted into the first spring member 71 is provided on the bottom wall 47 a of the cover part 47. The first spring member 71 is assembled in a state in which the cylindrical body 81 is inserted and the protrusion 80 of the rotating body 64 is inserted. Since the first spring member 71 is thus assembled between the rotating body 64 and the bottom wall 47a of the cover 47, the rotating body 64 is urged downward by the spring force of the first spring member 71. The three connecting pieces 78 are pressed against the serrated teeth 66 from above. In this pressed state, the connecting piece 78 contacts the positioning surface 66a of the saw-toothed tooth 66.

  The second spring member 72 is formed by a compression coil spring, and as shown in FIG. 4, with the shaft portion 73 of the medium pressing member 61 passing therethrough, the second spring member 72 and the step portion 65 of the cutting pen body 45 (flange portion 49). It is assembled in a compressed state between the convex portion 73a of the medium pressing member 61 (the shaft portion 73). By assembling the second spring member 72 in this manner, the medium pressing member 61 is pressed against the rotating body 64 from below by the spring force of the second spring member 72. In this pressed state, the cam surface 76a of the cam 76 contacts the connecting piece 78.

  The spring force of the second spring member 72 is smaller than the spring force of the first spring member 71. Therefore, in a natural state in which no pressing force is applied to the cap portion 75 of the medium pressing member 61, the connecting piece 78 resists the spring force of the first spring member 71 against the spring force of the second spring member 72. Is pressed against the serrated teeth 66. In this state, as shown in FIG. 10, the connecting piece 78 is pushed by the spring force of the first spring member 71 to be positioned at the lowest portion of the positioning surface 66 a, and to the guide surface 66 b of the adjacent tooth 66. Contact. The position of the rotating body 64 at which the connecting piece 78 contacts the guide surface 66b is the "stop position regulated by the cutting pen body".

The cam 76 of the medium pressing member 61 is formed in a shape such that a part of the cam surface 76a contacts a connecting piece 78 along the guide surface 66b. The part of the cam surface 76a is a part located on the top side of the cam 76 having a mountain-shaped cross section.
The spring force of the first spring member 71 is greater than the pressing force applied to the medium pressing member 61 when cutting the medium 3 with the cutting pen 2. In other words, the spring force of the first spring member 71 has a magnitude that restricts the medium pressing member 61 from moving upward with respect to the cutting pen body 45 by the cutting operation. For this reason, cutting is correctly performed in a state where the medium pressing member 61 is pressed against the medium 3 to be cut during cutting.

  When the cap portion 75 of the medium pressing member 61 is pressed upward by a force larger than the spring force of the first spring member 71, the medium pressing member 61 moves upward with respect to the cutting pen body 45. When the medium pressing member 61 moves as described above, the blade 44 projects from the cap 75 through the through hole 75 a of the cap 75. Therefore, when the vertical position of the medium pressing member 61 with respect to the cutting pen body 45 changes, the position of the cap 75 with respect to the blade 44 changes, and the amount of protrusion of the blade 44 protruding from the cap 75 changes. The protruding amount of the blade 44 with respect to the cap portion 75 is the "blade amount". The knock mechanism 63 is for changing the amount of blade.

<Description of operation of knock mechanism>
Here, a procedure of changing the blade amount by the knock mechanism 63 will be described with reference to FIGS.
In a state where the connecting piece 78 of the rotating body 64 is located in the middle of the step 67 composed of the plurality of sawtooth teeth 66, as shown in FIG. 10, the connecting piece 78 is located at the lowest position of the positioning surface 66a. It is positioned. When the medium pressing member 61 moves upward with respect to the cutting pen body 45 in this state, as shown in FIG. 11, the cam 76 of the medium pressing member 61 moves upward, and pushes the connecting piece 78 upward.

  At this time, the connecting piece 78 is pressed against the guide surface 66b of the next adjacent tooth 66 by the thrust acting in the direction along the inclined cam surface 76a. The next tooth 66 is a tooth 66 located one step below the stairs 67. When the medium pressing member 61 further moves, the connecting piece 78 moves beyond the tip of the guide surface 66b, and the regulation by the guide surface 66b is released.

  When the regulation is released in this manner, the connecting piece 78 slides down the cam surface 76a, moves to the lowest valley of the cam 76, and stops, as shown in FIG. At this time, the downward movement of the rotating body 64 is converted into a rotating operation centered on the axis C (see FIG. 4) extending in the vertical direction, and rotates by a predetermined angle. The rotation direction of the rotating body 64 at this time is one of the circumferential directions of the second cylindrical portion 50, and is a direction in which the step 67 composed of the plurality of sawtooth-shaped teeth 66 becomes lower.

  After the connecting piece 78 moves to the valley of the cam 76 in this manner, the moving direction of the medium pressing member 61 is reversed, and the medium pressing member 61 moves downward with respect to the cutting pen body 45. As shown in (5), the valley of the cam 76 moves below the positioning surface 66a of the next tooth 66. At this time, the connecting piece 78 comes into contact with the positioning surface 66a of the next tooth 66 from above, and is pressed against the top of the cam 76 by a thrust acting in a direction along the positioning surface 66a. Then, the connecting piece 78 slides down the positioning surface 66a as the cam 76 moves further downward.

  When the medium pressing member 61 moves further downward and the top of the cam 76 moves below the positioning surface 66a, as shown in FIG. 14, the connection piece 78 whose movement by the top of the cam 76 has been released is released. It further moves along the positioning surface 66a. This movement is restricted by the contact of the connecting piece 78 with the guide surface 66b of the tooth 66 located ahead of the next tooth 66. The tooth 66 located ahead of the next tooth 66 here is the tooth 66 at a position one step lower than the step 67.

Therefore, the medium pressing member 61 moves upward with respect to the cutting pen body 45 by a length sufficient to go over one step of the stairs 67, and then returns to the initial position, so that the connecting piece 78 moves to one of the steps 67. The rotation moves to the tooth 66 at a position lower by the step, and the rotating body 64 rotates by that amount. That is, the rotating body 64 is rotated by a predetermined angle by converting the reciprocating operation of the medium pressing member 61 in the up and down direction into a rotating operation about the axis C extending in the up and down direction.
The length enough to exceed one step of the stairs 67 is shorter than the height difference H1 between the tooth 66 at the lowest position of the stairs 67 and the tooth 66 at the highest position of the stairs 67, as shown in FIG. Further, the length is longer than the height difference H2 between the teeth 66 adjacent to each other in the middle of the stairs 67.

The distance between the tip of the stopper 54 of the cutting pen 2 and the tip of the cap portion 75 in the natural state, which protrudes from the cutting pen body 45 and is stopped, is equal to a length sufficient to exceed one step of the stairs 67.
Hereinafter, the reciprocating operation in which the medium pressing member 61 moves upward by a length sufficient to go over one step of the stairs 67 and returns after that is referred to as “first knocking operation”. By performing the first knocking operation, the rotating body 64 rotates by an angle corresponding to one step of the stairs 67, and the lower side of the cutting pen main body 45 corresponds to one step of the stairs 67. Go to

  Therefore, by repeatedly performing the first knocking operation, the positions of the rotating body 64 and the medium pressing member 61 in the vertical direction change stepwise, and the cutting-out amount changes stepwise. According to this embodiment, the step 67 composed of the sawtooth-shaped teeth 66 is formed so as to be gradually lower, so that the cap portion 75 is lowered in a stepwise manner, and the amount of bladed out is reduced stepwise. The cutting-out amount is minimized when the connecting piece 78 moves to the lowest tooth 66 of the stairs 67. In this embodiment, the blade amount becomes 0 in this state.

  The connecting piece 78 that has moved to the lowest tooth 66 of the step 67 hits the guide surface 66b of the highest tooth 66 of the next step 67. The guide surface 66b is formed to be longer in the vertical direction than the guide surface 66b of the tooth 66 in the middle of the step 67. Therefore, the connecting piece 78 does not exceed the long guide surface 66b in the first knocking operation.

  The connecting piece 78 moves over the long guide surface 66b by moving the medium pressing member 61 upward by more than the length moved by the first knocking operation, and the positioning surface of the tooth 66 at the highest position of the next step 67 Move to 66a. When the connecting piece 78 moves to the next step 67, the blade cutting amount is maximized. Hereinafter, the reciprocating operation of the medium pressing member 61 in which the connecting piece 78 moves to the tooth 66 at the highest position of the next step 67 is referred to as a “second knocking operation”.

<Manual adjustment of blade length>
The adjustment of the blade length is performed manually or automatically. In order to adjust the blade amount manually, the user holds the cutting pen 2 by hand and presses it against the first knock portion 11 of the cutting plotter 1.
The circular concave portion 14 of the first knock portion 11 is fitted with the lower end portion of the cap portion 75 and regulates the downward movement of the cap portion 75 from this fitted state.
The groove 15 of the first knock portion 11 is formed in a shape capable of inserting the pair of stoppers 54 of the cutting pen body 45, and allows the stoppers 54 to move below the upper surface 7 a of the work stage 7.

  When the cutting pen 2 is pressed against the first knock portion 11, the cutting pen body 45 is lowered in a state where the cap portion 75 contacts the opening edge of the circular concave portion 14. The stopper 54 of the cutting pen main body 45 is inserted into the groove 15 of the first knock part 11. In this case, when the cutting pen main body 45 moves down after being lowered with respect to the medium pressing member 61, the blade cutting amount changes.

  When the blade amount is manually adjusted, the change in the blade amount due to rotation of the rotating body 64 can be known by sound or vibration transmitted to the hand holding the cutting pen 2. The sound and the vibration are generated once each time the stroke of the cutting pen body 45 goes down and the stroke of the cutting pen body 45 going up. In the process of lowering the cutting pen 2, sound or vibration is generated when the connecting piece 78 moves along the cam surface 76 a after passing over the guide surface 66 b and hits the top of the cam 76. In the stroke in which the cutting pen body 45 is raised, when the connecting piece 78 hits the guide surface 66b of the next tooth 66, sound or vibration is generated.

  In the case of manually adjusting the blade amount, the above-described knocking operation is performed while comparing the connection piece 78 visible from the through hole 69 of the cover 47 with the number of the label attached to the cover 47. . The blade length is adjusted by performing a knocking operation until the connecting piece 78 moves to the position indicated by the number on the label that provides the desired blade length.

<Automatic adjustment of blade length>
When the blade length is automatically adjusted, the cutting pen 2 is pressed against the second and third knocking parts 12 and 13 of the cutting plotter 1.
The small hole 16 of the second knock portion 12 is formed in a shape into which the blade 44 can be inserted in a state where the cap portion 75 is in contact with the upper surface 7 a of the work stage 7.
The second knock portion 12 restricts the cap portion 75 and the connecting portion 74 from moving downward, and also restricts the stopper 54 of the cutting pen body 45 from moving below the upper surface 7 a of the work stage 7. .

The long hole 17 of the third knock portion 13 is formed in a shape that allows the blade 44 and the stopper 54 to be inserted in a state where the cap portion 75 contacts the upper surface 7 a of the work stage 7.
The third knock portion 13 restricts the cap portion 75 and the connecting portion 74 from moving downward, and allows the stopper 54 to move below the upper surface 7 a of the work stage 7.

  When automatically adjusting the blade length, the cutting pen 2 is mounted on the pen carriage 10 of the cutting plotter 1, and the control device 5 of the cutting plotter 1 is connected to the personal computer 43. Then, data capable of specifying the target blade amount is sent from the personal computer 43 to the control device 5. An example of the automatic adjustment operation of the blade extension is shown in the flowchart of FIG.

  In order to set the target blade amount, first, in the cut medium selection step S1 of this flowchart, the user selects the cut medium 3. This selection is performed by using application software for setting the blade length that is operated by the personal computer 43. When the medium 3 to be cut is selected, the blade amount corresponding to the medium 3 is displayed on the personal computer 43 in the next blade amount display step S2.

  Then, in the next data transmission step S <b> 3, data that can specify the blade length is sent from the personal computer 43 to the blade length controller 42 of the control device 5. Although the details will be described later, the blade extension amount control unit 42 controls the operations of the first and second pressing devices 35 and 36 so that the projection amount of the blade 44 becomes the projection amount corresponding to the thickness of the medium 3 to be cut. I do.

  After this data is input, the control device 5 (the blade amount control unit 42) controls the operation of the second motor 32 in the first movement step S4 to move the pen carriage 10 in the left-right direction. The cutting pen 2 is positioned above the second knock portion 12. Then, in the first initialization step S5, the control device 5 controls the operations of the first and second pressing devices 35 and 36 to perform the above-described first knocking operation.

In the first initialization step S5, the first knocking step S5A and the second knocking step S5B in which the moving amount of the cutting pen body 45 becomes a moving amount exceeding one step of the stairs 67, and the determining step S5C are performed. Will be implemented.
In the first knock step S5A, the cap portion 75 is pressed against the second knock portion 12, and the cutting pen body 45 moves to the knock portion side (downward) with respect to the cap portion 75. At this time, the control device 5 controls the operations of the first and second pressing devices 35 and 36 so that a pressing force greater than that at the time of cutting is applied to the cutting pen 2.

  When the cutting pen 2 is pressed against the second knock portion 12 in this manner, the cutting pen body 45 is lowered with respect to the medium pressing member 61 in a state where the blade 44 is inserted into the small hole 16, and the stopper 54 is moved to the work stage. 7 corresponds to the upper surface 7a. The downward movement of the cutting pen body 45 is restricted by the stopper 54 hitting the work stage 7. By lowering the cutting pen body 45 in this manner, the medium pressing member 61 moves upward with respect to the cutting pen body 45 by a length sufficient to exceed one step of the above-described stairs 67.

  In the second knocking step S5B, the cutting pen body 45 moves to the opposite side (upper side) of the cap portion 75 from the second knocking portion 12. When the entire cutting pen 2 including the cutting pen body 45 is raised to the initial position, the first knocking operation for one time is completed.

  In determination step S5C, it is determined whether the number of first knocking operations is greater than the number corresponding to the number of steps 67 described above. The number of first knocking operations is the number of times that the first knocking step S5A and the second knocking step S5B are performed. The number of times corresponding to the number of steps 67 is 10 when the number of steps 67 is 11 as shown in FIG.

The control device 5 performs the second movement step S6 when the number of knocks becomes larger than the number of steps of the stairs 67, and then performs the second initialization step S7.
In the second movement step S <b> 6, the control device 5 controls the operation of the second motor 32 to move the pen carriage 10 in the left-right direction to position the cutting pen 2 above the third knock portion 13.

  In the second initialization step S7, the control device 5 controls the operations of the first and second pressing devices 35 and 36 to perform the above-described second knocking operation. The second initialization step S7 includes a first knock step S7A and a second knock step S7B. In the first knock step S7A and the second knock step S7B, the moving amount of the cutting pen body 45 is a long moving amount determined in advance. The “long moving distance” here is a moving distance by which the connecting piece 78 can pass over the guide surface 66 b of the tooth 66 at the highest position of the stairs 67.

In the first knock step S7A, with the cap portion 75 hitting the work stage 7 and the downward movement of the medium pressing member 61 is restricted, the cutting pen main body 45 is lowered, so that the stopper 54 is When inserted, the cutting pen body 45 is lowered significantly from the time of the first knocking operation. The downward movement of the cutting pen body 45 is restricted by the outer cylinder 51 hitting the work stage 7. Therefore, the distance that the medium pressing member 61 moves upward with respect to the cutting pen body 45 is longer than in the first knocking operation.
In the second knock step S7B, the entire cutting pen 2 including the cutting pen body 45 is raised to the initial position. By raising the cutting pen 2 in this manner, the second knocking operation is completed.

After the second knocking operation is completed, the control device 5 performs a third moving step S8, and then performs a blade-out amount setting step S9.
In the third movement step S <b> 8, the control device 5 controls the operation of the second motor 32 to move the pen carriage 10 in the left-right direction to position the cutting pen 2 above the second knock portion 12.

  In the blade amount setting step S9, the first knocking operation is performed the number of times that reaches the target blade amount. The blade amount setting step S9 includes a first knocking step S9A and a second knocking step S9B in which the amount of movement of the cutting pen body 45 is sufficient to exceed one step of the stairs 67, and a determination step S9C. Have been.

In this determination step S9C, it is determined whether or not the number of first knocking operations, which is the number of times the first knocking step S9A and the second knocking step S9B have been performed, is equal to the target number of knocks. The target number of knocks is the number of first knocking operations that has a blade amount corresponding to the medium 3 to be cut.
In the blade amount setting step S9, the first knocking operation is repeatedly performed until the number of first knocking operations reaches the target number of knocks. When the number of first knocking operations at this time reaches the number of knocks, the blade amount is adjusted, and the control device 5 enters a standby state.

<Explanation of Effect of Embodiment>
In the cutting plotter 1 according to the above-described embodiment, the cutting-out amount is defined based on the number of reciprocating operations by the medium pressing member 61. This reciprocating operation is a knocking operation in which the cutting pen body 45 approaches the second knocking portion 12 in a state where the cap portion 75 is pressed against the second knocking portion 12 (pressed portion), and then returns to the initial position. Will be implemented.

For this reason, the pressing device of the cutting plotter 1 performs the above-described knocking operation the number of times that achieves the desired blade amount, whereby the blade amount is accurately adjusted without depending on the user's judgment. Since the knock portion can be formed at the same height as the work stage 7 by using a part of the work stage 7, the knock portion does not hinder the work of taking the medium 3 out of the work stage 7. Things.
Therefore, according to this embodiment, the blade length can be accurately adjusted without depending on the user's visual judgment, and this adjustment can be performed with the work stage 7 being widely opened. A cutting plotter can be provided.

Further, according to the cutting amount control method of the cutting plotter according to this embodiment, the first knocking step and the second knocking step are repeatedly performed, so that the cap portion 75 protruding from the cutting pen body 45 is formed. The protruding amount changes stepwise, and the blade amount changes stepwise accordingly.
Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a method for controlling the amount of blade of a cutting plotter in which the cutting plotter 1 can be accurately adjusted by pressing the cutting plotter 1 against a knock portion having the same height as the work stage 7. .

The cutting plotter 1 according to this embodiment includes a control device 5 that controls the operations of the first and second driving devices 22 and 31 and the first and second pressing devices 35 and 36. The control device 5 receives the data capable of specifying the thickness of the medium 3 to be cut, and performs the first and second pressing so that the protrusion amount of the blade 44 becomes the protrusion amount corresponding to the thickness of the medium 3 to be cut. It has a blade amount control unit 42 for controlling the operation of the devices 35 and 36.
For this reason, the cutting plotter 1 according to this embodiment can automatically set the blade length.

The knock mechanism 63 according to this embodiment includes a rotating body 64 and first and second spring members 71 and 72. The rotator 64 is rotated by a predetermined angle by converting the reciprocating operation of the medium pressing member 61 in the up-down direction into a rotation operation about the axis C extending in the up-down direction. The rotating body 64 changes its vertical position with respect to the cutting pen body 45 as it rotates.
The first spring member 71 urges the rotating body 64 downward, and holds the rotating body 64 at a stop position regulated by the cutting pen body 45.
The second spring member 72 urges the medium pressing member 61 toward the upper side of the cutting pen body 45.

The medium pressing member 61 according to the present embodiment, when the first and second knocking operations described above are performed, causes the rotating member 64 to be pressed against the rotating member 64 by the spring force of the second spring member 72. It moves vertically together.
In this embodiment, in order to change the blade length, the medium pressing member 61 moves upward with respect to the cutting pen body 45 by an operation amount equal to or more than the vertical movement amount required for the rotation of the rotating body 64. Must. For this reason, a threshold value is substantially set for the operation amount of the medium pressing member 61 necessary for changing the blade amount, and it is possible to prevent the blade amount from unnecessarily changing.

The spring force of the first spring member 71 according to this embodiment has a magnitude that restricts the medium pressing member 61 from moving upward with respect to the cutting pen body 45 by the cutting operation.
For this reason, the cutting-out amount does not change unnecessarily during cutting. Therefore, the cutting plotter 1 according to this embodiment can perform stable cutting.

The cutting pen body 45 according to this embodiment has a second cylindrical portion 50 located on the same axis as the rotating body 64. The second cylindrical portion 50 has a plurality of sawtooth-shaped teeth 66. These teeth 66 have a positioning surface 66a and a guide surface 66b, respectively.
The medium pressing member 61 according to this embodiment has a plurality of cams 76 arranged in the circumferential direction of the second cylindrical portion 50. Each of the cams 76 has a cam surface 76a that is gradually inclined toward the lower side of the cutting main body toward one side in the circumferential direction.

The rotating body 64 according to this embodiment has a connecting piece 78 that is pressed from above by the spring force of the first spring member 71 against the positioning surface 66a described above.
According to this embodiment, when the first or second knocking operation described above is performed and the medium pressing member 61 moves upward with respect to the cutting pen body 45, the connecting piece 78 is pressed by the cam surface 76a. While moving, it moves upward along the guide surface 66b. The connecting piece 78 moves in the circumferential direction of the second tubular portion 50 by the thrust along the positioning surface 66a and the cam surface 76a when the connecting piece 78 exceeds the guide surface 66b. The source of this thrust is the spring force of the first spring member 71.

  For this reason, the rotating body 64 is driven by the first spring member 71 with a constant magnitude by the spring force without being affected by the magnitude of the force applied to the cutting pen 2 during the first and second knocking operations. Rotate by force. Therefore, the cutting plotter 1 according to the present embodiment has high reliability in operation when the blade amount is adjusted by the first and second knocking operations described above.

  At one end of the cutting pen body 45 according to this embodiment, a stopper 54 is provided which protrudes vertically. The stopper 54 comes into contact with the upper surface 7 a of the work stage 7 at the second knock portion 12 of the cutting plotter 1 and can be inserted into the elongated hole 17 of the third knock portion 13. For this reason, the cutting plotter 1 according to this embodiment can perform the first knocking operation and the second knocking operation, and does not require the assistance of the user when changing the blade length.

A plurality of sawtooth-shaped teeth 66 according to this embodiment are provided in a plurality of regions dividing the second cylindrical portion 50 of the cutting pen body 45 in the circumferential direction. The connecting pieces 78 of the rotating body 64 according to this embodiment are provided for each of the above-described regions.
The rotating body 64 according to the present embodiment rotates while being supported by the second cylindrical portion 50 at a plurality of circumferential positions. Therefore, the rotating body 64 smoothly rotates without being inclined with respect to the cutting pen body 45. Therefore, in the cutting plotter 1 according to this embodiment, the adjustment of the blade length is smoothly performed.

  According to the cutting amount control method of the cutting plotter according to this embodiment, after the first initialization step S5, the second initialization step S7 is performed, and thereafter, the blade amount setting step S9 is performed. For this reason, by performing the blade amount control method, the blade amount is automatically adjusted without being affected by the blade amount of the cutting pen 2 before the adjustment of the blade amount is started.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the step 67 formed by the plurality of sawtooth-shaped teeth 66 gradually becomes lower as the rotating body 64 rotates. However, the present invention is not limited to such a limitation. The stairs 67 can be formed in a shape that becomes gradually higher as going in the rotation direction of the rotating body 64. In the case of adopting this configuration, the rotating body 64 rotates only by the first knocking operation, so that the blade amount changes stepwise.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to the cutting plotter 1 in which the medium 3 to be cut moves in the front-back direction has been described. However, the present invention can also be applied to a so-called flatbed type cutting plotter in which the medium to be cut does not move.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Cutting plotter, 2 ... Cutting pen, 3 ... Medium to be cut, 5 ... Control device, 7 ... Work stage, 11 ... 2nd knock part, 13 ... 3rd knock part, 22 ... 1st drive device, Reference numeral 31: second driving device, 35: first pressing device, 36: second pressing device, 42: blade extension amount control unit, 44: blade, 45 ... cutting pen body, 47 ... cover unit, 50 ... 2 cylindrical part, 54 stopper, 61 medium press member, 63 knock mechanism, 64 rotating body, 66 serrated teeth, 66a positioning surface, 66b guide surface, 67 steps, 69 penetrating Hole, 75a: through hole, 71: first spring member, 72: second spring member, 75: cap, 76: cam, 76a: cam surface, 78: connecting piece (index), S5: first Initializing step, S7 ... Second initializing step, S9 ... Out amount setting step, S5A, S7A, S9A ... first knock step, S5B, S7B, S9B ... second knock steps.

Claims (9)

A work stage on which a sheet-like medium to be cut is placed;
A pen carriage movably held along the main surface of the medium to be cut above the work stage,
A driving device for driving the pen carriage,
A cutting pen having a blade for cutting the medium to be cut, and supported by the pen carriage movably in a direction perpendicular to the main surface,
A pressing device provided on the pen carriage, for pressing the cutting pen against the medium to be cut with a predetermined pressing force,
The work stage has a knock portion in which a hole through which the blade can be inserted is opened,
The cutting pen is
A cutting pen body having an attached portion attached to the pen carriage, formed in a cylindrical shape, and having a blade protruding from one end in the longitudinal direction;
The cutting pen body has a cap portion having a through hole formed therethrough, and the cap portion protrudes from the one end portion of the cutting pen body and moves into the cutting pen body in the longitudinal direction of the cutting pen body. A medium pressing member freely inserted,
The medium pressing member is provided in the cutting pen main body, and the medium pressing member repeatedly reciprocates in the longitudinal direction with respect to the cutting pen main body, thereby changing the longitudinal position of the medium pressing member with respect to the cutting pen main body in a stepwise manner. A cutting plotter comprising a knock mechanism. The cutting plotter according to claim 1,
Further, a control device for controlling the operation of the driving device and the pressing device,
The control device includes:
A data capable of specifying a blade amount is input, and a blade amount control unit that controls the operation of the pressing device so that the protrusion amount of the blade becomes a protrusion amount corresponding to the thickness of the medium to be cut. Cutting plotter characterized by doing. In the cutting plotter according to claim 1 or 2,
The knock mechanism,
The reciprocating operation of the medium pressing member in the longitudinal direction is converted into a rotational operation about an axis extending in the longitudinal direction, whereby the medium pressing member rotates by a predetermined angle, and with this rotation, the longitudinal direction with respect to the cutting pen main body. A rotating body whose position changes,
A first spring member that urges the rotating body toward the one end and holds the rotating body at a stop position regulated by a cutting pen body;
A second spring member for urging the medium pressing member toward the other end of the cutting pen body,
The cutting plotter, wherein the medium pressing member moves in the longitudinal direction integrally with the rotator while being pressed against the rotator by a spring force of the second spring member. The cutting plotter according to claim 3,
The cutting plotter according to claim 1, wherein the spring force of the first spring member is of a magnitude that restricts the medium pressing member from moving toward the other end with respect to the cutting pen body by a cutting operation. The cutting plotter according to claim 4,
The cutting pen body has a cylindrical portion located on the same axis as the rotating body,
The cylindrical portion has a plurality of sawtooth-shaped teeth arranged in a stepwise manner when viewed from a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction,
These teeth each have a positioning surface that gradually inclines toward the one end side as it goes toward one of the circumferential directions of the cylindrical portion, and a guide surface that extends in the longitudinal direction,
Among these teeth, the tooth at the lowest position of the step formed by the plurality of sawtooth-shaped teeth and the tooth at the highest position of the step are adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction,
The medium pressing member has a plurality of cams arranged in the circumferential direction,
These cams have a cam surface that is gradually inclined toward the one end as it goes toward one of the circumferential directions,
The rotating body is pressed against the positioning surface from the other end by the spring force of the first spring member, and the cam surface is pressed from the one end by the spring force of the second spring member. Has a connecting piece,
When the medium pressing member moves toward the other end relative to the cutting pen body, the connecting piece moves toward the other end along the guide surface while being pressed by the cam surface, and A cutting plotter, wherein the cutting plotter moves in one of the circumferential directions along the cam surface and the positioning surface in a state of exceeding a front end of the surface. The cutting plotter according to claim 5,
A stopper that protrudes in the longitudinal direction is provided at the one end of the cutting pen body,
In the longitudinal direction, the distance between the tip of the stopper and the tip of the cap portion that is in a natural state protruding from the cutting pen body and stopped is the lowest tooth of the stairs, Shorter than the height difference with the highest tooth, and longer than the height difference between adjacent teeth in the middle of the steps,
The knock portion,
A first knock portion having a flat surface with which a hole through which the blade can be inserted is opened and the cap portion and the stopper abut,
A cutting plotter comprising: a second knock portion having a flat surface with which the blade and the stopper can be inserted and a hole into which the stopper can be inserted, and the cap portion abuts. The cutting pen according to claim 5 or 6,
The plurality of saw-tooth-shaped teeth are provided in a plurality of regions dividing the cylindrical portion in a circumferential direction,
The cutting plotter, wherein the connection piece is provided for each of the regions. A cutting pen including a cutting pen body having a blade protruding from one end, and a medium pressing cap portion having a through hole through which the blade passes and being movably held at the one end of the cutting pen body. A moving step that moves along the work stage while being attached to the pen carriage, and is positioned at a position facing a knockout portion for changing the blade amount having a hole into which the blade can be inserted,
A first knock step in which the cap portion is pressed against the knock portion, and the cutting pen body moves toward the knock portion with respect to the cap portion;
A second knocking step in which the cutting pen body moves to a side opposite to the knocking portion with respect to a cap portion,
A method of controlling the amount of blade of a cutting plotter, wherein the amount of protrusion of the blade protruding from the cap portion changes stepwise by repeatedly performing the first knocking step and the second knocking step. . In the cutting-out amount control method for a cutting plotter according to claim 8,
A first initialization step in which the first and second knocking steps are repeatedly performed a predetermined number of times so that a moving amount of the cutting pen body becomes a predetermined short moving amount;
A second initialization step in which, after the first initialization step, the first and second knocking steps are performed only once so that the movement amount of the cutting pen body becomes a predetermined long movement amount. When,
After the second initialization step, a blade amount setting step in which the first and second knocking steps are performed by the number of times that the blade amount corresponds to the thickness of the medium to be cut. A cutting edge control method for a cutting plotter, comprising:

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