JPH01210366A - Thermal transfer recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable calculation and display of the remaining number of unused sheets of ink paper and detection and display of the remaining number of unused sheets of ink paper in units of cassette by a printer by calculating the outer diameter of ink paper wound around a feeder shaft based on the rotational value of the feeder shaft and the transport length of ink paper. CONSTITUTION:The rotational value of a feeder shaft 6 is detected by a detection means 24 such as LED for clock 12 and a clock sensor 14, for instance, using a 50-pulse signal per rotation of the feeder shaft 6. A counting circuit counts detected pulses as an integrated pulse count K obtained from the start of image printing to the end by a thermal transfer recording device. Next, the integrated pulse count K obtained by the counting circuit 25 is input to a judgement circuit 26, and the judgement circuit 26 calculates the remaining number of unused sheets of ink paper using a calculation means 27 by referring to a conversion table prepared in ROM 28. After this, the remaining number of unused sheets of ink paper 2 calculated by the judgement circuit 26 is transmitted to a display circuit 29. The display circuit 29 drives the display means 30 provided on a thermal transfer recording device to display the remaining number of unused sheets of ink paper on the display means 30.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a thermal transfer recording device using a cassette containing a strip-shaped medium such as ink paper.

[Conventional technology]

2. Description of the Related Art A method of attaching ink paper to a printer device that performs printing or printing using paper coated with ink has been put to practical use in many printers, typewriters, and the like. In order to easily install particularly wide ink paper into a printer device, as shown in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 56-67278, a shaft for supplying ink paper and a shaft for winding up ink paper are mounted in the same cassette. A method is known in which a pressure roller that overlaps photographic paper and ink paper during printing is connected to a supply shaft and a take-up shaft in a cassette by a rotation transmission means, and the ink paper is fed out in accordance with the printing operation.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, the above problem is that when using multiple sheets of ink paper wrapped around the shaft, it is not possible to keep track of the usage status of the ink paper, and especially when the ink paper cassette is removed from the printer, there is a lot of ink paper left. There is a problem in that the number of sheets is not recorded anywhere, and when a user uses multiple or multiple types of ink paper cassettes in parallel while replacing them, the user cannot grasp the remaining amount of ink paper at all.

An object of the present invention is for a printer to detect and display the number of remaining ink paper sheets in each cassette.

[Means to solve the problem]

The above purpose is to provide a torque transmission shaft inserted into the ink paper supply shaft with a rotation detection means for detecting the rotation of the supply shaft, an ink paper conveyance detection means for measuring the conveyance length of the ink paper, and a torque transmission shaft inserted into the ink paper supply shaft. This problem can be solved by providing a remaining amount detecting means that calculates the outer diameter of the ink paper wound around the supply shaft from the amount of rotation of the ink paper and the transport length of the ink paper, and calculates and displays the number of remaining ink papers based on the calculated outer diameter.

[Effect]

The rotation detection means attached to the torque transmission shaft inserted into the ink paper supply shaft is provided coaxially with the supply shaft, and includes a clock display means for displaying the rotation as a black and white pattern clock, and a clock display means for illuminating the clock display means. The clock display device includes an illumination device that reads the rotation of the clock display device, and a photoelectric conversion device that outputs the rotation as a clock signal. The ink paper conveyance detection means measures the absolute conveyance length of the ink paper by detecting the interval between cue marks written on the ink paper or by counting the number of print lines during printing. The remaining number of sheets of ink paper detection means detects the amount of paper wound around the supply shaft based on the relationship between the amount of rotation of the supply shaft obtained by the rotation detection means and the absolute conveyance length of the ink paper obtained by the ink paper conveyance detection means. Calculate the outer diameter of the ink paper. Based on this value, the number of remaining ink paper sheets is calculated, and the remaining number of ink paper sheets is displayed on a display means provided in front of the printer.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the thermal transfer recording apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the equipment configuration of a thermal transfer recording apparatus according to the present invention. The ink paper cassette 1 is attached to the upper part of the drum 5 in the mechanism section 3 of the thermal transfer recording apparatus, and is placed between the supply shaft (not shown) in the supply shaft storage part 8 and the winding shaft 7 in the winding shaft storage part 9. A thermal head 4 presses the stretched ink paper 2 against a drum 5. The ink paper 2 is conveyed as the drum 5 rotates, and the ink paper 2 that has passed under the thermal head 4 is wound around the take-up shaft 7. At this time, a torque transmission shaft 32 is inserted into the winding shaft 7 from the mechanism section 3, and as the torque transmission shaft 32 rotates, the winding shaft 7 also rotates, and the ink paper 2 is wound up.

Similarly, as the drum 5 rotates, the ink paper 2 is unwound from the supply shaft, but the rotation of the supply shaft at this time is transmitted from the mechanism section 3 to the supply shaft rotation detection section 10 inserted into the supply shaft. be done. A clock plate 1 is coaxial with the supply shaft rotation detection unit 10.
1 is provided, and black and white patterns written on the clock plate 11 or pasted by a sticker-like member appear alternately as the clock plate 11 rotates.

Clock LED 12 that illuminates the clock board 11
and a clock sensor 1 that detects reflected light from the clock plate 11.
4 is provided to read the black and white pattern on the clock board 11. The signal output section of the clock sensor 14 outputs H and L according to the black and white pattern passed in front of the clock sensor 14.
output signals alternately. By counting the number of times of H and L, the amount of rotation of the supply shaft is detected. By calculating the relationship between the constant transport amount of the ink paper 2 during printing and the corresponding rotation amount of the supply shaft, the diameter of the ink paper 2 wound around the supply shaft can be determined. It is possible to calculate the number of usable remaining sheets of 2.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a thermal transfer recording apparatus according to the present invention. The photographic papers 16 are stacked on a photographic paper tray (not shown) in the thermal transfer recording device 15. During printing, the topmost sheet of photographic paper 2 is fed from the paper feed path 17 and wrapped around the drum 5. An ink paper cassette 1 is mounted on the upper part of the drum 5, and an ink paper 2 (not shown) in the ink paper cassette 1 is overlapped with photographic paper 16 on the drum 5 by a thermal head 4. Recording is performed while rotating the drum 5 in the direction of the arrow, and after printing, the photographic paper 2 is discharged to the outside of the thermal transfer recording device 15 through a paper discharge path 18. The ink paper cassette can be taken out and replaced by opening the cassette lid (not shown) on the thermal transfer recording device 15.

The thermal transfer recording device of the present invention detects the number of remaining sheets of ink paper 2 in the cassette by detecting the amount of conveyance of the ink paper 2 and the amount of rotation of the supply shaft during printing of the first sheet after replacing the cassette. Calculate and display.

FIG. 3 shows a three-sided view of an example of the ink paper cassette 1.

The supply shaft 6 is installed in the supply shaft storage part 8, the take-up shaft 7 is installed in the take-up shaft storage part 9, and the ink paper 2 is stretched between the two shafts. The supply shaft storage section 8 and the take-up shaft storage section 9 are connected to the connection section 1.
9, and both shaft storage parts are integrated. This ink paper cassette 1 is shown in a thermal transfer recording device 15 shown in FIG.
By mounting the supply shaft 6 and the take-up shaft 7 on the thermal transfer recording device 15 at the same time.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing the structure and operation of the thermal transfer recording device 15 according to the present invention, in which (a) is an explanatory diagram of the initialization operation of the mechanism section before printing, and (b) is an explanation of the operation during printing. It is a diagram. The printing method uses ink paper 2 and photographic paper 16 on drum 5.
The ink coated on the ink paper 2 is thermally transferred to the photographic paper 16 by heating it from above with a heating element 22 provided at the lower part of the thermal head 4, thereby performing recording. The operation of the thermal transfer recording device 15 will be described below. In the same figure (,), photographic paper 16 is inserted from a paper feed section 17, and its leading end is fixed to a chuck n provided on the drum 5. Next, the drum 5 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow, and moves the printing start position near the leading edge of the photographic paper 16 to a position corresponding to the heating element 22 on the thermal head 4. The lower surface of the ink paper 2, that is, the surface that comes into contact with the photographic paper 16, is coated with three or four colors of thermal transfer ink, each in a size corresponding to one printing surface. Next, the take-up shaft 7 rotates in the direction of arrow B, feeds the ink paper 2, and positions the first color ink. The positioning of the ink paper 2 is performed by determining the color of the ink paper 2 using the LBD 20 and the sensor 21. The leading edge of the first color of the ink paper 2 detected by the LBD 20 and the sensor 21 is
The take-up shaft 7 is further fed in the direction of arrow B, and moved to a position corresponding to the heating element 22 provided at the lower part of the thermal head 4 in the same way as the photographic paper 16. Next, the thermal head 4 is installed in the same figure (b).
), the photographic paper 16 and the ink paper 2 are overlapped and pressed against the drum 5. In this state, the heating element 22 generates heat and transfers the thermal transfer ink applied to the ink paper 2 to the photographic paper 16. The heating element 22 is attached to the drum 5 in the axial direction 51
It is composed of small resistors measuring 250 μm x 140 μm arranged in two dots, and each resistor generates an independent amount of heat by independently changing the energization time to each resistor. The ink that receives the heat generated by each resistor is transferred onto the photographic paper 16 by melting or sublimating the amount of ink corresponding to the amount of heat.

By controlling the energization time to each resistor, the photographic paper 1
Recording of 512 pixels with controlled shading above 6 is performed. With the above operations, 1 line/5 lines are printed on the photographic paper 16.
After recording 12 pixels, the drum 5 moves 1 in the direction of the arrow.
Rotate step by step and print the next line. By performing the above operation 640 times, 640X is printed on the photographic paper 16.
An image with gradation of 512 pixels is formed. After the recording of one screen is completed, the thermal head 4 rises again and retreats upward so as not to contact the chuck 23 on the drum 5, as shown in FIG. The drum 5 further rotates in the direction of the arrow, again moving the printing start position near the leading edge of the photographic paper 16 to a position corresponding to the heating element 22 below the thermal head 4. Next, the take-up shaft 7 rotates in the direction of arrow B, feeds the ink paper 2, and positions the second color ink. At this time, the second color of the ink paper 2 is positioned by determining the color of the ink paper 2 using the LED 20 and the sensor 21, or by detecting the amount of rotation of the supply shaft 6 using the output signal of the clock sensor 14, and keeping the ink paper 2 at a constant position. This is done by sending out the amount. Detection of the number of remaining sheets of ink paper 2 according to the present invention is performed by detecting the rotation of a clock plate 11 provided coaxially with the supply shaft 6.
D 12 and clock sensor 14, the amount of rotation of the supply shaft 6 corresponding to the amount of conveyance of the ink paper 2 during printing is measured, and the winding diameter of the supply shaft 6 is calculated. After the second color positioning of the ink paper 2 is performed, the thermal transfer recording device again prints the second color in the form shown in FIG. 2(b). By performing the same process for printing the third color, the ink of each of the three colors having shading is transferred onto the photographic paper 16, and a color print with intermediate tones is formed on the photographic paper 16. Thereafter, the thermal head 4 rises as shown in FIG. 4A, and the drum 5 rotates in reverse to eject the photographic paper 16 from the ejection path 18 to the outside of the thermal transfer recording apparatus.

FIG. 5 shows an example of the relationship between the rotational speed of the supply shaft 6 and the remaining amount of ink paper 2. In FIG. Diameter. When the ink paper 2 with a thickness t is wound around the supply shaft 6 for N screens, with the length required for printing one screen being L(!:), and the winding diameter is D, the length of the ink paper 2 is By volume calculation, L×tXN−πC(D/2)2
-(Do/2)2), D=2X((D0/
2) 2+L-t-N/π]1''.The remaining number of sheets wound around the supply shaft 6, N, and the rotation speed M of the supply shaft 6 at the Nth printing are M=L/(πxl )) As an example of calculation, = 151, L = 56
0 n, t = 8.6 μm, the relationship between M and N is the fifth
Shown in the graph of figure. That is, when N = 100 sheets, M = 6
When 98 laps, N=50 sheets, M=85 laps, N=1 sheet,
The value of M takes a unique value corresponding to the remaining number N of ink paper 2, such as M=11.78 rounds. By measuring the value of M by setting the resolution of the black and white pattern on the clock plate 11 to a certain value (for example, when 50 clocks/cycle, the amount of rotation can be measured with a resolution of 1150 cycles), the rotation amount of the supply shaft 6 can be measured. By measuring the amount of rotation and comparing it with this graph, the number of sheets of ink paper 2 remaining at the time of printing can be determined. The relationship between N and M is non-linear, and as the remaining number N of ink paper 2 decreases, the slope of the graph becomes larger and the amount of variation in M becomes larger, so that the resolution of detection increases. This occurs because the winding diameter of the ink paper 2 near the end of use is small because the clock plate 11 is attached to the supply shaft 6. Conversely, when the clock plate 11 is attached to the winding shaft 7, the ink paper 2 has the highest resolution at the start of use.

When the thermal transfer recording device 15 is actually used, it is desirable to accurately display the number of remaining ink sheets 2 as the remaining amount of the ink paper 2 decreases, and it is desirable to attach the clock plate 11 to the supply shaft 6. However, if it is necessary to accurately display the remaining number of sheets of ink paper 2 from the beginning of use, a clock plate 11' may also be provided on the winding shaft 7 side and used in combination.

FIG. 6 shows an example of an operational block diagram of the remaining amount of ink paper 2 counter according to the present invention. The amount of rotation of the supply shaft 6 is detected by the detection means 24 such as the clock LED 12 and the clock sensor 14 using a signal of, for example, 50 pulses per revolution of the supply shaft 6. The counting circuit 25 counts the detected pulses as the cumulative number of pulses from the start to the end of printing by the thermal transfer recording device 15. Next, the total number of pulses counted by the counting circuit 25 is inputted to the judgment circuit 26, and the judgment circuit 26 calculates the remaining amount of the ink paper 2 by the calculation means 27 by referring to the conversion table L prepared in the ROM 28. Calculate the number of sheets. Here, the converted teardrop L is generated using the graph shown in FIG. Next, a display circuit 29 displays the remaining number of ink paper 2 calculated by the judgment circuit 26.
The display circuit 29 moves the display means 30 to display the remaining number of ink sheets 2 on the display means 30 provided in the thermal transfer recording device 15. The counting circuit 25 and the judgment circuit 26 may be configured using hard logic, or may be configured using software of an arithmetic device such as a microcomputer or computer.
Alternatively, a RAM may be used instead of the ROM 28 to calculate and write the conversion table L based on information such as the storage capacity of the ink paper 2 in the ink paper cassette 1.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing another configuration example of the supply shaft rotation detection section 10 shown in FIG. 1. The clock board 11 is different from the example shown in FIG. 1, and is formed by writing a black and white pattern on a cylinder provided coaxially with the supply shaft 6, or by printing it on a shell-shaped member and then pasting it.

In this example, the supply shaft rotation detection section 10 becomes larger, but
The density of the black and white pattern on the clock board 11 can be increased, and the detection resolution of the amount of rotation of the shaft mentioned above can be increased.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing another example of the configuration of the supply shaft rotation detection section 10 shown in FIG. 1. The clock board 11 is formed on a cylinder similar to that shown in FIG. 7 by alternately pasting, coating, or forming a thin film of conductors and insulators instead of using a black and white pattern. Reading of the clock board 11 is performed by contacting the clock board 11 with the electrode 31.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing another configuration example of the supply shaft rotation detection section 10 shown in FIG. 1. Similar to the example shown in FIG. 7, the clock plate 11 is formed by writing a black and white pattern on a cylinder provided coaxially with the supply shaft 6, or by printing a seal-like member and then pasting the pattern.

In this embodiment, two rows of black and white patterns of the clock board 11 are prepared, and their phase angles are shifted by half a cycle.

Two rows of black and white patterns and two sets of clock LEDs 12°1
'2' and clock sensors 14 and 14', and by combining both signals, the rotation amount of the shaft is read at a density twice that of the black and white pattern on the clock plate 11.

This embodiment is effective when there is a limit to the pitch of black and white patterns that can be read by the optical sensor and it is necessary to increase the reading resolution, and if necessary, the number of rows of black and white patterns may be further increased.

FIG. 10 shows an operation flowchart of the thermal transfer recording device 15 for positioning and cueing the ink paper 2.

In FIG. 1, when the ink paper cassette 1 is attached to the thermal transfer recording device 15, the thermal head 4 is retracted upward as shown in FIG. There is. After installing ink paper cassette 1,
The LED 20 and sensor 21 are brought into close contact with the ink paper 2.

Next, the position of the ink paper 2 is detected by the sensor 21, and a cue mark 3 of the ink paper 2, which will be described later, is placed at the position of the sensor 21.
Check to see if 5 is coming. If the cue mark 35 is at the position of the sensor 21, the thermal transfer recording device 15 prints the ink paper 2.
It is assumed that this is the correct position, that is, the position where the three colors of color ink after the cue mark 35 are correctly printed, and the printer enters a printing start standby state. If the cue mark 35 is not located at the position of the sensor 21, the drum 5 is rotated in the forward direction. At the same time as the motor for rotating the drum 5 is turned on, data input from the sensor 21 and determination of the cue mark 35 described above are repeated. When the cue mark 35 comes to the position of the sensor 21, the rotation of the drum 5 is stopped and the printing standby state described above is entered.

FIG. 11 shows an example of timing for detecting the clock plate 11 for detecting the rotation speed of the supply shaft 6. The ink paper 2 is provided with a cue mark 35 for positioning the ink paper 2 for each print of one screen. This is a black band with a constant width, and the sensor 21 of the thermal transfer recording device 15 detects the cue by looking at the beginning of the band. FIG. 2A shows a state in which the beginning of the ink paper 2 has not been located. sensor 2
1 is located at the cue sensor position 34. Since the sensor 21 has not detected the cue mark 35, the thermal transfer recording device 15 conveys the ink paper 2 in the ink paper traveling direction 33 in order to search for the cue mark 35. FIG. 2B shows a state in which the cue mark 35 is detected and the thermal transfer recording device 15 is on standby. The cue sensor position 34 is the cue mark 35
is at the head of The clock plate 11 is detected from this position, and after one screen of printing is completed, the next cue mark 36 is detected again.
If this continues until the sensor 21 comes to the beginning of the ink paper 2, the accurate conveyance amount of the ink paper 2 will be determined, and the number of remaining sheets will be accurately calculated. However, if the ink paper cassette 1 is replaced during the process, the cue mark 35 may exceed the cue sensor position 34 as shown in FIG. 3(c). In this case, the sensor 21 is renewed if the ink paper 2 has already been located, and the sensor 21 waits in the state shown in FIG. 4(d) without transporting the ink paper 2. If you start detecting the clock board 11 from here, the ink paper 2
Since the length of use is short, the remaining number of sheets cannot be accurately calculated. Therefore, in this embodiment, the initial state of the ink paper 2 is divided into two cases: a change from (a) to (b) in the figure, and (d), and the number of sheets is not calculated in the case of (d). Specifically, when printing from the cue sensor position 34 as shown in FIG. Now calculate the remaining number of sheets. The clock plate 11 is detected during the FG measurement range 38 from the cue sensor position 36 to the cue sensor position 37.

FIG. 12 shows another example of the timing for detecting the clock plate 11 for detecting the rotational speed of the supply shaft 6. 12th
As shown in Figure (a), the sensor 21 has already detected the cue mark 35.
If detected, in this embodiment, the ink paper 2 is fed in the direction of the arrow, that is, in the opposite direction, and the cue mark 35 is moved in front of the cue sensor position 34, as shown in FIG. Next, feed the ink paper 2 in the forward direction, that is, in the direction of arrow B,
Bring the cue mark 35 to the cue sensor position 34. By the above operation, the ink paper 2 is always in the correct position.
Detection of the clock board 11 can be done in the same way. Specifically, if the sensor 21 is at the cue sensor position 35 when the ink paper cassette 1 is attached to the thermal transfer recording device 15 in FIG. Cue mark 3 on ink paper 2
Bring 5. From here, the clock plate 11 is detected, and the point at which one screen of printing ends, that is, the cue sensor position 36
Calculate the number of tickets to be delivered. For the next print, the cue sensor positions 36 to 39 are detected in the same way, so it is possible to always maintain an appropriate FG measurement range 38, and the accurate ink paper 2
The number of remaining sheets is detected. However, in this embodiment, a thermal transfer recording device that feeds ink paper 2 only in the forward direction is provided with only a brake to keep the winding torque constant. It is suitable for a thermal transfer recording device 15 that requires power and a reversing mechanism for the ink paper 2 due to the paper conveyance path of the thermal transfer recording device 15.

Furthermore, in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, when positioning the first color by determining the color of the first ink without providing the cue mark 35 on the ink paper 2, The same algorithm can be used by determining boundaries and performing positioning.

FIG. 13 shows another example of the timing for detecting the clock plate 11 for detecting the rotation speed of the supply shaft 6. (a)
As shown in FIG. 2, when the thermal transfer recording device 15 is in a standby state, the sensor 21 is located at either the cue sensor position 34 or 37. After the start of printing, the ink paper 2 is conveyed in the forward direction, and the rear end of the cue mark 35 passes the cue sensor position 36 shown in (b). Detection of the clock plate 11 starts from here and continues until the standby position after one screen printing is completed, that is, until the cue sensor position 39 in FIG. Specifically, in the same figure (dl, printing starts from the cue sensor position 34, and from 36 to 37
Detection of the clock board 11 is performed between. By the above method, the FG measurement range 38 can always be maintained from the rear end of the cue mark 35 to the tip of the next cue mark, so that accurate sheet count is always performed.

FIG. 14 shows the number of printing lines (for example, 6 lines/in case of 166 μm width/edge) during a certain amount of rotation of the supply shaft 6.
line. 190 μmo in this embodiment) and the remaining number of ink paper 2. FIG. The number of rotations for a certain amount of the shaft is described in three cases: one round measurement, one half round measurement, and one clock measurement when the clock plate 11 is composed of a black and white pattern. . The conditions for the ink paper 2 are 8.6 μm thick, which is the same as in the case of FIG. In the case of this embodiment, unlike the case in FIG. 5, the supply shaft 6
The conveyance amount of the ink paper 2 corresponding to a certain amount of rotation is detected by the number of printing lines during printing, and the remaining number of sheets is calculated. The operational block diagram for calculating the remaining number of sheets using this figure is the same as that in FIG. 6, but the detecting means 24 is a means for detecting the number of printing lines. The specific method will be described later.

FIG. 15 is a side view showing the configuration of the thermal transfer recording device 15 that measures the number of print lines mentioned above. In the same figure (,), the driving force for the drum 5 during printing is provided by a motor 44. The rotational torque of the motor 44 is transmitted to the drum 5 by a reduction gear 48 and a torque transmission belt 49. Further, an FG generator 45 is attached to the motor 44, and outputs an FG multiplied signal every time the motor 44 rotates by a certain angle. By selecting the reduction gear and the reduction ratio using the torque transmission belt 49, the FG signal output 46 can be matched with the cycle of the printing line, and the FG signal output 46 can be used to instruct the thermal head 4 to be energized. .

The number of printing lines is measured only during a certain amount of rotation of the shaft specified by one cycle or eight cycles of the clock signal output 47 from the clock sensor 14 that detects the clock plate 11. FIG. 5B is a timing chart showing the measuring range of the number of printing lines mentioned above, in which the FG signal 5 between the rising sense portions 52 and 52' of the clock signal 50 is shown in FIG.
This is done by counting the number of rising sense portions 53 of 1. In this case, the FG signal 51 is applied five times for one cycle of the clock signal 50. By combining this result with the graph shown in FIG. 14, the remaining number of ink sheets 2 is calculated.

FIG. 16 is an example of a flowchart for measuring the absolute feed length of the ink paper 2 by the system control microcomputer of the thermal transfer recording apparatus 15. FIG. 5A is an operation flowchart of the microcomputer for printing one color and one screen, and the operation will be explained below. Counter initialization 54 is the initialization of a counter for printing 640 lines. Next drum 5
FG signal 51 that measures the amount of rotation of the motor 44 that drives the
is performed by reading FG data 55, and the rising change 56
At this point, it is determined whether or not the FG signal 51 is at the rising detection position. In this flowchart, the rising edge change 56 detects a rising edge change by comparing the previous FG data reading with the previous FG data reading. If the rising edge of the FG signal 51 is not detected at the rising edge change 56, the process returns to the FG data reading step 55, and the process is repeated twice until the rising edge is detected. When the rising edge of the FG signal 51 is detected, a counter operation 57 is then performed to determine the correspondence between the clock signal 50 and the FG signal 51. The details of the counter operation 57 are shown in the same figure (b
) will be described later. When the microcomputer of the thermal transfer recording device 15 catches the rise of the FG signal 51, it determines whether the current number of printing lines has reached 640 lines, and if it has reached 640 lines, printing of one screen has been completed. considered as If the number of lines has not reached 640, the microcomputer generates a strobe 59 to heat the thermal head 4, and at the same time sets the print line number counter to 1.
Increase the line. After that, FG data reading 55 is performed again,
Repeat the operations described above. Next, the details of the counter operation 61 for establishing the correspondence between the clock signal 50 and the FG signal 51 are shown in FIG. Counter operation 61 is classified into three operation modes. It is fi in Figure 15(b)
l Before the rising sense part 52, (2) mode in which the FG signal 51 is counted between the rising sense parts 52 and 52', +31 mode after the rising sense part 52'
The mode flag is set to fi+ in the counter initialization shown in FIG.

After the start of printing, control is switched to FG by mode flag determination 62.
Proceeding to counter reset 63, the counting counter of the FG to be measured is set to O. Next, in clock data reading 64, the output signal of the clock sensor is read. Next, at the rising edge change 65, the clock data changes as shown in FIG. 15(b).
It is determined whether or not the user is at the rising sense portion 52 of . The rising edge change 65 is detected by comparing the previous clock data read with the previous clock data read, similar to the rising edge change 56 in FIG. 2(a).

If the clock data rises and there is no change, the counter operation 61 is terminated, and the control returns to the control shown in FIG. 5A, where the same operation for printing the next line is carried out and the clock data rises. When the rising edge of clock data is detected, the mode flag = (2) and counter operation 6 is started.
Finish step 1 and wait for the next line to be printed. In the mode flag determination 62, if the mode flag is -(2), the rising edge sensing part 5 in FIG.
It has 2' detection. While the rising sense position 52' is not detected, the rising sense positions 52 and 5
2' and this routine is passed only once for one line printing, so every time this routine is passed with mode flag - (2), the FG counter is set to 1 by INC and FG number 69.
increase only. When the rising sense portion 5''2' is detected in the state of mode flag = (2), the FG counter is not incremented and the counter operation 61 is skipped as the mode flag - (3173).After that, the clock data 1
Since the count number of FG data corresponding to the clock has been measured, there is no need to do anything in this routine, and the printing operation continues without performing any operation when the mode flag is set to (3). In the example of this flowchart, the number of FGs within one clock is counted, but when counting the number of FGs for one rotation of the axis, that is, for 8 clocks, change the mode flag from (2) to (3). That is, mode flag = (3+
Step 70 may be performed after detecting eight rising edges of the clock data, and the number of FGs is basically counted by the same operation.

FIG. 17 shows an example in which the number of paper feed lines is measured by controlling the rotation amount of the shaft according to the print length. The resolution for calculating the remaining number of ink sheets 2 improves as the slope of the graph in the figure increases. Specifically, if the number of paper feed lines P changes by one or more for a change of one sheet in the number N of remaining ink paper, the number of remaining sheets can be calculated and displayed with emphasis on one sheet. In reality, even if the rotation amount of the shaft is constant, the number of paper feed lines will vary depending on the phase.
The conditions for guaranteeing the calculation of the remaining amount of ink paper 2 are that there is a fluctuation of one pulse and that ΔP>2. In this figure,
In order to maximize the resolution, the number of printing lines P per revolution of the supply shaft 6 may be measured, for example, and the graph of the one revolution measurement data 41 may be used in this graph.

However, since it is not possible to measure the number of printing lines beyond the printing length on the photographic paper 16, the one-round measurement data 4
If 1 is used, the number N of remaining ink paper sheets is about 80 or more, and it becomes impossible to measure the number of paper feed lines. In this embodiment, the switching position 74 is provided at a position where the number of remaining ink paper sheets N=50 sheets,
If N is 50 sheets or more, use the graph of 1/2 lap measurement data 42, and if N is 50 sheets or less, use 1 lap measurement data 4.
Using graph 1, increase the resolution of calculating the number of remaining ink paper sheets. In this case, when the number of remaining sheets is 50 or more, the number is not calculated and only the message "1/2 or more of ink paper remaining" is displayed, and as the number of remaining sheets decreases, a higher-resolution display is performed. Furthermore, the switching position 74 may be provided at any arbitrary location, not just at 50 sheets. Further, in a thermal transfer recording device that can measure the number of paper feed lines P even if the maximum print length is exceeded, the switching position 74 may not be provided.

FIG. 18 shows an example of making a judgment to actually switch the switching position 74 in FIG. 17 using the number of FG signals during the first cycle after the start of printing of clock data, as described above. show. In the present embodiment shown in FIG. 5A, if the ink supply shaft outer diameter 76 is 15H to 30 fins and the one clock rotation angle 77 is 1/8 round, the feeding length of the ink paper 2 in one clock cycle is 5 .39m to 11.78111
and changes. Here, if the IFG feed amount 75 is 190 μm, the feed length of the ink paper 2 in one clock cycle changes from 31 to 62 in units of the number of FGs. The same figure (b
) shows a table in which the number of FGs is expressed in binary numbers. The number of FG is 31
It is assumed that the switching position changes from 1 to 62, and then the switching position is set to 48, which is the intermediate value. As shown in the table, the MSB changes from O to 1 between 31 and 32, and the LSB changes between 47 and 48.
The 5th bit changes from 0 to 1. Therefore, L.S.
By ANDing the 5th bit and the 6th bit (MSB) from B and switching if the result is 1, the switching algorithm is completed without requiring complicated judgment. FIG. 3(c) shows a diagram configuring the above-described FG number measurement and judgment algorithm as an example of a circuit. Counter 79 inputs clock signal 50 through delay 78 to reset 81 .

The counter reset by the clock signal 50 is FG
Start counting the number of signals 51. The count result of the counter 79 is output as a 6-bit parallel signal.

A N D of the 5th bit and 6th bit of this output
82 performs a logical product and inputs the result to a latch 83. The latch 86 detects the next rising edge of the clock signal 50 and
Although the output of the ND82 is latched, the counter 79 is reset after the latch operation of the latch 83 is performed, that is, after the delay time due to the delay 78 has elapsed, so that accurate counting and processing of the number of FGs within one clock is possible. It will be done.

The AND operation of the 5th bit and 6th bit of the output of the counter 79 may be processed by software such as a BIT-TEST command of the system control microcomputer.

FIG. 19 shows an example of the operation algorithm of the display means for displaying the number of remaining ink sheets 2. In FIG. After calculating the remaining number N of ink paper 2, a display method is selected according to the number. In this embodiment, when the remaining number N is 10 or more and when the remaining number N is 9
Select the display method for each page. Specifically, the remaining number of sheets N is determined by the sheet number determining section 85, and if N is 9 or less, the execution proceeds to the display section 86 that displays all digits of the number, and if N is 10 or more, the execution proceeds to the display section 86 that displays all digits of the number. , execution proceeds to the display section 87 which displays only the tenth digit of the number. In the above method, by selecting the display section according to the number of remaining sheets of ink paper 2, it is possible to avoid sending unnecessary information (first digit number) to the user, especially when N is large, and , in FIG. 14, prevents erroneous display when a measurement error occurs when N is large.

FIG. 20 shows an embodiment of a display unit that displays the number of remaining ink paper sheets 2. In FIG. FIG. 5A shows a system in which when the total amount of ink paper 2 is 100 sheets, the remaining number of sheets is displayed using a two-digit LED or liquid crystal. Used to accurately display all remaining amounts from ioo to 0. Figures (b) and (c) are coarse when the remaining number of sheets is 10 or more, and when the remaining number of sheets is 1.
This method accurately displays when the number of sheets becomes 0 or less. for example(
b) shows the case where the remaining number of ink paper 2 is from 40 to 49 using the display section 87 in Fig. 19, and the first digit is displayed with a special symbol, but in Fig. When the remaining amount is 10 or less, for example, if the remaining amount is 7, the first digit number is used to represent the remaining amount using the display section 86 in FIG. 19. This is necessary to accurately display the remaining amount when the number of remaining sheets is low.
When there is a large amount of remaining paper, this information is often unnecessary.Also, as mentioned in the explanation of Figure 17, when there is a large number of remaining sheets, it is difficult to accurately calculate the number of remaining sheets. This is to accurately display the last 10 sheets for which the remaining number of sheets can be calculated. (d), (e), and (f) are examples in which the remaining number of sheets is roughly displayed in the range where the remaining number of sheets cannot be calculated accurately, and all digits are displayed after it becomes possible to accurately calculate the remaining number of sheets.

In (d), the remaining number of sheets cannot be calculated accurately yet.
Displays the remaining number of sheets roughly in units of 10 sheets. In this example, the number of remaining sheets is 80 to 89.

(e) shows the display at the time when it becomes possible to accurately calculate the remaining number of sheets of ink paper 2 while it is being used, that is, at the time when ΔP>2 in the explanation of FIG. 17.

For example, if it becomes possible to accurately display the remaining amount when there are less than 50 sheets, as in this embodiment, the remaining amount is accurately displayed as 47 sheets. (f) is an example of an accurate display when the remaining amount is 10 or less, similar to (c). In this case, by changing the constant of the sheet number determining section 85 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 19, the boundary value between displaying all digits of N or displaying only the 10s digit can be arbitrarily changed. In the above embodiments, the case where the last digit of the two-digit display of the number of remaining sheets is omitted is indicated by the special symbol shown in the figure, but this clearly indicates that the last one of the two-digit display is not displayed. You may also use other means of conveying the information.

FIG. 21 shows another embodiment of the display section for displaying the number of remaining ink sheets 2. In FIG. FIG. 5A shows an example in which the remaining number of sheets is accurately displayed using 100 LEDs or liquid crystals arranged in a row. For example, only the indicator lamp 88 is lit or the indicator lamp 88
If all of the numbers below are lit, there are 40 cards remaining. The same figure (bl indicates the remaining number of sheets in units of 10
This is an example of display using individual LEDs or liquid crystals. In this case, ten sets of sheet number determining units 85 shown in FIG. 19 may be prepared.

For example, if only the display lamp 88 is lit, or if all the numbers below the display lamp 88 are lit, the number of remaining sheets is between 31 and 40 sheets.

In this embodiment, since the remaining amount of ink paper 2 is displayed only in units of 10 sheets, it is not possible to display detailed numbers immediately before the end of the process. ) consists of fine LEDs or liquid crystals,
Accurate display may also be performed. FIG. 4(c) shows an example in which the display section has a logarithmic scale. 9 for the total amount of 100 sheets of ink paper 2
The scale is coarse when there are many remaining sheets, becomes finer as the remaining number decreases, and is accurate when the remaining number is 5 or less. For example, when only indicator lamp 88 is lit or indicator lamps 88 and below are lit, the remaining number of sheets is between 31 and 50, and when only indicator lamp 89 is lit or indicator lamps 89 and below are lit, the remaining number is between 6 and 50. If only the display lamp 90 is lit or the display lamps 90 and below are lit during 10 sheets, it means that there are 3 sheets remaining. In this case, it is sufficient to provide a plurality of sheet number determination sections 85 shown in FIG. 19 and set their constants in accordance with the display scale, and it is sufficient to provide a plurality of display sections corresponding to each determination.

FIG. 22 shows an example in which the display section is color-coded. The method of displaying the remaining amount of ink paper 2 from 100 to 0 using nine LEDs or liquid crystals was described in FIG. 21(c), but in this embodiment, the LEDs are color-coded according to the remaining amount. For example, one LED
By displaying the display lamp 88 composed of in blue, the display lamp 89 composed of two LEDs in yellow, and the display lamp 90 composed of six LEDs in red,
Even from a distance where the numbers cannot be read directly, the approximate number of remaining sheets of ink paper 2 can be determined.

FIG. 23 shows another embodiment for measuring the absolute feed length of the ink paper 2. In FIG. FIG. 5A shows an example in which a peeling O-ra 91 provided on the thermal head 4 of a thermal transfer recording apparatus is used. The peeling roller 91 passes under the heating element 22 and removes the ink paper 2 stuck to the photographic paper 167.
It is an O-ra that is peeled off at a steep angle. The peeling roller 91 is pressed against the drum 5 and rotates in accordance with the rotation of the drum 5, that is, the amount of travel of the ink paper 2. By providing the clock plate 11 on the peeling roller 91 and actually measuring the traveling distance of the ink paper 2, data equivalent to the FG signal output shown in FIG. 15 can be obtained. In the same figure (bl is the black plate 1 on the tension roller 92 of the ink paper 2)
1, the amount of travel of the ink paper 2 is actually measured.

In this case, since the absolute traveling distance of the ink paper 2 can always be measured regardless of the printing mode, there is no restriction on the printing length shown in FIG. 17.

FIG. 24 is an example of specifying the relationship between the diameter of the clock plate 11 and the size of the opening of the clock sensor according to the present invention. FIG. 5A is a diagram showing the relationship between the clock plate 11 having a relatively small diameter 94 and the sensor opening 96. In the figure, the black and white pattern of the clock plate 11 divides the circumference of the clock plate into 8 parts. are doing. In this case, the size of the sensor opening 96 is larger than the width of the black and white pattern on the clock board 11, and the sensor opening 96 always overlaps both the white mark and the black mark. In this state, the S/N ratio of the output signal of the clock sensor cannot be ensured, and if the diameter 94 is extremely small, it becomes completely impossible to distinguish between white marks and black marks. The figure (b) shows the clock plate 11 according to the present invention, the diameter 95 of which is larger than the diameter 94 of the figure (a), the width of the black and white pattern is larger than the sensor opening 96, and the clock plate 11 has a diameter 95 larger than the diameter 94 of the figure (a). The sensor can detect the pattern on the clock plate 11 with sufficient resolution.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, even when an ink paper cassette is attached to and removed from a thermal transfer recording apparatus, the remaining amount of ink paper can be checked for each cassette, and the management of the remaining amount of ink paper becomes extremely easy. Furthermore, the components necessary to calculate the number of remaining sheets of ink paper can be configured using existing equipment such as the system control microcomputer of the thermal transfer recording device, the rotation stop detection means of the supply shaft, etc., and the cost of the thermal transfer recording device is reduced. Not only does it not cause any increase in size, but it can also be realized without any modification or addition of parts to the ink paper cassette, which is a consumable item, so there is a great advantage in terms of cost.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the equipment configuration of a thermal transfer recording device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the thermal transfer recording device, FIG. 3 is a three-sided view of an example of an ink paper cassette, and FIG. 4 5 is a side view for explaining the structure and operation of the thermal transfer recording device, FIG. 5 is a graph showing the relationship between the rotation speed of the supply shaft and the remaining amount of ink paper, and FIG. 6 is the number of remaining ink paper sheets according to the present invention. An operation block diagram of the counter, FIGS. 7, 8, and 9 are perspective views showing configuration examples of the supply shaft rotation detection section, and FIG. 10 is an operation flowchart of the thermal transfer recording device for positioning and cueing of ink paper. , Fig. 11, Fig. 12, and Fig. 13 are schematic diagrams showing the timing of detecting the clock plate for detecting the rotation speed of the supply shaft, and Fig. 14 shows the number of printing lines and ink at a constant rotation of the supply shaft. A graph showing the relationship between the remaining number of sheets of paper, FIG. 15 is a side view showing the configuration of a thermal transfer recording device that measures the number of print lines, and FIG. 16 is a flowchart for measuring the running distance of ink paper by the system control microcomputer of the thermal transfer recording device. , FIG. 17 is a graph showing the relationship between the number of printing lines and the number of remaining sheets of ink paper in various constant rotations of the supply shaft, and FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a determining means for switching the constant rotation amount of the supply shaft. , FIG. 19 is a flowchart of the operation algorithm of the display means for displaying the number of remaining sheets of ink paper, and FIGS. 20, 21, and 22 are pattern diagrams showing the display section for displaying the number of remaining sheets of ink paper. FIG. 23 is a side view showing another embodiment of the means for detecting the running amount of ink paper, and FIG. 24 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the size of the clock plate and the opening of the sensor. 1... Ink paper cassette 2... Ink paper 6... Supply shaft 10... Supply shaft rotation detection section 11...
・Clock board 12...Clock LED 14...Clock sensor 20...LED21...Sensor
38 FG measurement range 41...1 round measurement data 45...FG generator 74...Switching position
76... Supply shaft ink outer diameter Agent Patent attorney Ogawa
Katsu Otoshi” 1-1 lead center υ eyes) Time deQ ′:

Claims (20)

[Claims] (1) An ink shaft wrapped with ink paper made of thin strip film or paper coated with ink and an ink shaft for winding up the ink paper are installed as a pair in a cassette case, and the ink shaft is attached to the cassette case. Using an ink paper cassette that can make axial contact with the torque transmission shaft inserted from the outside and also transmit the rotational force of the torque transmission shaft to the shaft, the ink paper is placed on the photographic paper, and the thermal head is In a thermal transfer recording device that performs recording by transferring the ink onto photographic paper by heating it with A rotation detecting means for detecting the rotation amount is provided, an ink paper transport measuring means is provided for measuring the transport amount of the ink paper, and the rotation amount of the supply shaft or the winding shaft output from the rotation detecting means and the ink paper transport measurement are provided. Remaining number detecting means is provided for calculating the winding diameter of the ink paper wound on the supply shaft or the winding shaft from the ink paper transport amount outputted from the means, and calculating and displaying the remaining amount of the ink paper. A thermal transfer recording device characterized by: (2) A clock display means composed of alternating black and white marks is provided on the torque transmission shaft inserted into the supply shaft or the winding shaft, and an illumination means for illuminating the clock display means and a clock display means for detecting the clock display means are provided. , photoelectric conversion means for converting the alternating black and white marks into electrical signals and outputting the electrical signals; the illumination means illuminates the clock display means which rotates with the rotation of the supply shaft or the winding shaft; 2. The rotation detecting means for use in a thermal transfer recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotation of the supply shaft or the take-up shaft is detected by converting the signal into an electric signal by a converting means. (3) A clock display means composed of alternating conductor and insulator marks is provided on the torque transmission shaft inserted into the supply shaft or the winding shaft, and the clock display means is detected and the conductor and insulator are conductivity detection means that outputs alternating marks as electrical signals, and the clock display means, which rotates with the rotation of the supply shaft or the winding shaft, is converted into an electrical signal by the conduction detection means, thereby detecting the supply. 2. The rotation detecting means used in a thermal transfer recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotation detecting means detects rotation of a shaft or a winding shaft. (4) Alternating black and white marks constituting the clock display means are written radially on one or both sides of a disc-shaped member that rotates coaxially with the supply shaft or the winding shaft. Rotation detection means. (5) The rotation detecting means according to claim 2, wherein alternating black and white marks constituting the clock display means are written on the outer periphery of a cylindrical member that rotates coaxially with the supply shaft or the winding shaft. (6) The rotation detecting means according to claim 2, characterized in that a plurality of rows of alternating black and white marks constituting the clock display means are written with their phases shifted. (7) The detection means detects 3 or 4 colors per print.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the measurement is performed from the tip of a cue mark indicating the leading position of the ink paper made of colored ink to the tip of the cue mark indicating the tip position of the ink paper in the next printing. Ink paper transport measuring means of the described thermal transfer recording device. (8) The detection means detects three or four colors per print.
7. Measurement is performed from the rear end of the cue mark indicating the leading position of the ink paper made of colored ink to the tip of the cue mark indicating the leading edge position of the ink paper in the next printing. Ink paper conveyance measuring means described in . (9) The detection means detects 3 or 4 colors per print.
The winding axis of the ink paper is used to constantly measure the distance from the tip of the cue mark indicating the leading position of the ink paper made of colored ink to the tip of the cue mark indicating the tip position of the ink paper in the next printing. 8. The ink paper conveyance measuring means according to claim 7, further comprising means for rewinding the ink paper from the feed shaft to the supply shaft. (10) By counting the number of printing lines during printing,
Claim 1 characterized in that the conveyance amount of the ink paper is measured.
Ink paper conveyance measuring means used in the thermal transfer recording device described in . (11) The number of printing lines is counted by providing a rotation detection means for detecting rotation of the drive means in the drive means for driving the platen that conveys the ink paper and the photographic paper. Ink paper conveyance measuring means. (12) The ink according to claim 10, characterized in that the conveyance amount of the ink paper is measured by providing a rotatable member that directly contacts the ink paper and a rotation detection means that detects the rotation of the rotatable member. Paper conveyance measuring means. (13) The relationship between the amount of rotation of the supply shaft, the amount of conveyance of the ink paper, and the number of remaining ink papers is written in a ROM, and this is read out to calculate the number of remaining ink papers. Remaining number of sheets detecting means used in the thermal transfer recording device according to item 1. (14) The relationship between the amount of rotation of the supply shaft corresponding to the conveyance of a certain length of the ink paper and the number of remaining sheets of the ink paper is stored in a ROM.
14. The remaining number of ink paper detecting means according to claim 13, wherein the remaining number of ink paper is calculated and displayed from the measured rotation amount of the supply shaft. (15) The relationship between the amount of conveyance of the ink paper corresponding to a certain amount of rotation of the supply shaft and the number of remaining sheets of the ink paper is written in a ROM, and the number of remaining sheets of the ink paper is determined from the measured amount of conveyance of the ink paper. 14. The remaining number of sheets detecting means according to claim 13, wherein the remaining number of sheets is calculated and displayed. (16) The conveyance amount of the ink paper and the rotation amount of the supply shaft are measured during the printing operation of the thermal transfer recording device, and the remaining number of ink paper sheets is calculated and displayed.
The remaining number of sheets detection means described in . (17) The remaining number of sheets detecting means according to claim 15, characterized in that the constant rotation amount of the supply shaft is switched according to the amount of conveyance of the ink paper. (18) The remaining number of sheets detecting means according to claim 17, wherein reference data for switching the constant rotation amount of the supply shaft is acquired during one cycle of the clock display means. (19) A claim characterized in that when the number of remaining sheets of the ink paper is large, the number of remaining sheets is displayed with low precision, and when the number of remaining sheets of the ink paper is small, the remaining number of sheets is displayed with high precision. The remaining number of sheets detection means according to item 13. (20) The rotation detection means according to claim 4, wherein the diameter of the clock display means is set so that the interval between the black and white patterns written on the clock display means is wider than the opening of the photoelectric conversion means.