Medium-cutting device, image forming apparatus, and method for conveying medium
A medium-cutting device includes a medium-conveyance section to convey a medium in a medium-conveyance direction, a cutter to cut the medium conveyed by the medium-conveyance section, and a pushing part to push up a piece of the medium that is cut from the medium with the cutter.
1. A medium-cutting device, comprising:
a medium-conveyance section to convey a medium in a medium-conveyance direction;
a cutter to cut the medium conveyed by the medium-conveyance section;
a pushing part that pushes up a cut piece of the medium that is cut from the medium with the cutter; and
a guide member to guide the medium in the medium-conveyance direction,
wherein the guide member includes an upstream-side guide member disposed upstream of the pushing part in the medium-conveyance direction and a downstream-side guide member disposed downstream of the pushing part in the medium-conveyance direction, and
wherein the pushing part is disposed below a downstream end of the upstream-side guide member and is disposed above an upstream end of the downstream-side guide member.
2. The medium-cutting device according to claim 1 , wherein the pushing part pushes up the cut piece such that a trailing end of the cut piece contacts a leading end of the medium disposed upstream of the cut piece in the medium-conveyance direction.
3. The medium-cutting device according to claim 1 , wherein the medium-conveyance section conveys the medium while the pushing part pushes up the cut piece.
4. The medium-cutting device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the cutter is disposed in a pathway perpendicular to the medium-conveyance direction, and
wherein the cutter cuts the medium by moving along the pathway while the medium is on the pathway.
5. The medium-cutting device according to claim 4 , further comprising a cutter holder to hold the cutter,
wherein the cutter holder is switchable between a cutting mode to cut the medium with the cutter and a pushing mode to push up the cut piece with the pushing part.
6. The medium-cutting device according to claim 5 ,
wherein a top portion of the cutter is flush with a top surface of the medium in the cutting mode, and
wherein the top portion of the pushing part is lower than a trailing end of the cut piece in the pushing mode.
7. The medium-cutting device according to claim 5 , wherein the medium-conveyance section conveys the medium, when the pushing part supports a center part of the cut piece in a direction perpendicular to the medium-conveyance direction.
8. The medium-cutting device according to claim 5 ,
wherein the pushing part is a top surface of the cutter holder.
9. The medium-cutting device according to claim 1 ,
wherein an angle α formed between the pushing part and the cut piece when the pushing part is in contact with the cut piece is less than ninety degrees.
10. The medium-cutting device of claim 1 , further comprising a motor to move the pushing part to push up the cut piece.
11. An image forming apparatus, comprising:
an image forming section to form an image on a medium;
a medium-conveyance section to convey the medium to the image forming section in a medium-conveyance direction;
a cutter to cut the medium, on which the image is formed by the image forming section, conveyed by the medium-conveyance section;
a pushing part that pushes up a cut piece of the medium that is cut from the medium with the cutter; and
a guide member to guide the medium in the medium-conveyance direction,
wherein the guide member includes an upstream-side guide member disposed upstream of the pushing part in the medium-conveyance direction and a downstream-side guide member disposed downstream of the pushing part in the medium-conveyance direction, and
wherein the pushing part is disposed below a downstream end of the upstream-side guide member and is disposed above an upstream end of the downstream-side guide member.
12. The medium-cutting device according to claim 11 , wherein the pushing part pushes up the cut piece such that a trailing end of the cut piece contacts a leading end of the medium disposed upstream of the cut piece in the medium-conveyance direction.
13. The medium-cutting device according to claim 11 , wherein the medium-conveyance section conveys the medium while the pushing part pushes up the cut piece.
14. The medium-cutting device according to claim 11 ,
wherein the cutter is disposed in a pathway perpendicular to the medium-conveyance direction, and
wherein the cutter cuts the medium by moving along the pathway while the medium is on the pathway.
15. The medium-cutting device according to claim 14 , further comprising a cutter holder to hold the cutter,
wherein the cutter holder is switchable between a cutting mode to cut the medium with the cutter and a pushing mode to push up the cut piece with the pushing part.
16. The medium-cutting device according to claim 15 ,
wherein a top portion of the cutter is flush with a top surface of the medium in the cutting mode, and
wherein the top portion of the pushing part is lower than a trailing end of the cut piece in the pushing mode.
17. The medium-cutting device according to claim 15 , wherein the medium-conveyance section conveys the medium, when the pushing part supports a center part of the cut piece in a direction perpendicular to the medium-conveyance direction.
18. The medium-cutting device according to claim 15 ,
wherein the pushing part is a top surface of the cutter holder.
19. The medium-cutting device according to claim 11 ,
wherein an angle α formed between the pushing part and the cut piece when the pushing part is in contact with the cut piece is less than ninety degrees.