JPH0343989B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a thermal transfer recording device that performs recording by thermally transferring ink applied to a transfer paper onto an image receiving paper using the heat of a recording head such as a thermal head. be.

Conventional configurations and their problems In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for devices that make color hard copies of displays such as CRTs, and as a method that requires no maintenance, color transfer paper is used to record images by sequentially transferring them to image receiving paper. There is a need for a device that can

A conventional thermal transfer recording device will be described below.

FIG. 1 schematically shows the main recording parts of a conventional thermal transfer recording apparatus. Reference numeral 1 denotes a thermal head, which is pressed against a platen 2 via a transfer paper 5 and an image receiving paper 4. There are two auxiliary rollers 3 on the platen 2.
are pressed together. The transfer paper 5 is supplied from a supply reel 7 and wound onto a take-up reel 6. Cyan, magenta, and yellow inks are sequentially applied to the transfer paper 5.

The operation will be explained below.

First color transfer paper (e.g. cyan) and receiver paper 4
is held between the thermal head 1 and the platen 2, and the platen 2 is rotated in the direction of arrow C, and the thermal head 1 generates heat due to the recording signal.
The ink on the transfer paper 5 is transferred onto the image receiving paper 4.
When the recording of the first color for one screen is completed, the thermal head 1 is separated from the platen 2 as shown in FIG. In this state, the platen 2 is reversed in the direction of arrow D. At this time, the auxiliary roller 3 remains in pressure contact with the platen 2, so the image receiving paper 4 moves in the opposite direction, and when the recording start position of the first color reaches the heat generation position of the thermal head 1, the rotation of the platen 2 stops. , the image receiving paper 4 also stops. During this time, the transfer paper 5 is wound up by the take-up reel 6, and stops when the second color reaches the heat generating position of the thermal head 1. Thereafter, the thermal head 1 is again pressed against the platen 2, resulting in the state shown in FIG. 1, and recording of the second color is performed. In this way, recording is performed sequentially up to the third color, and a color hard copy is obtained.

However, with the above configuration, the image receiving paper 4 located between the two auxiliary rollers 3 on the platen 2 tends to sag, and therefore the recording start position of the second and third colors is not the same as that of the first color. For the recording start position of
Misregistration occurs, resulting in color misregistration, making it difficult to obtain high-quality color hard copies.

As a means to improve this, as shown in FIG.
There is something that can be wrapped around something to record it.

This structure will be explained below.

The thermal head 1 is pressed against a drum 10 via a transfer paper 5 and an image receiving paper 9. The leading end of the image receiving paper 9 is held on the surface of the drum 10 by a holder 11 provided on the drum 10. Holder 1
1 is biased toward substantially the center of the drum 10 by a spring 12. For recording, use Holder 11.
Recording of the first color starts from the point where the color passes the heat generating position of thermal head 1. The mechanism of transcription is the first
This is the same as explained in the figure. When the recording of the first color is completed, the thermal head 1 separates from the drum 10, the drum 10 continues to rotate in the same direction, and when the recording start position of the first color comes to the heat generating position of the thermal head 1, the drum 10 moves away from the drum 10. rotation stops.
Further, the transfer paper 5 is wound up by the take-up reel 6 until the second color reaches the heat generating position of the thermal head 1.
When the above operations are completed, the thermal head 1 is again pressed against the drum 10 and recording of the second color is started. The third color is recorded in the same way to obtain a color hard copy.

According to this method, the drum 10 rotates in the direction of arrow E, and after the holder 11 passes the roller 13, the roller 13 brings the image receiving paper 9 into close contact with the drum 10, so that the image receiving paper 9 is transferred to the drum 10. It does not float off the surface of 10. Therefore, it is easy to match the recording start positions of the second and third colors with the recording start positions of the first color, and a high-quality color hard copy can be obtained without any color shift.

However, in this method, the image receiving paper 9 is transferred to the drum 10.
It is necessary to wind the image receiving paper 9 around the drum 10, and to separate the image receiving paper 9 from the drum 10. This requires a solenoid as a driving source for opening and closing the holder 11 and a complicated structure, which increases the size and cost of the device. It had a drawback, which was the price.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks and to provide a thermal transfer recording device in which the holder can be opened and closed by simple and inexpensive means using the drum system with less color shift. It is.

Structure of the Invention The present invention involves winding an image-receiving paper around a drum, and pressing a thermal head through the transfer paper on which a plurality of colors are sequentially applied, thereby sequentially heating and transferring the ink on the transfer paper onto the image-receiving paper. The apparatus for obtaining a color hard copy includes an arm A that holds and rotates the thermal head, and a rotating arm B that opens and closes a holder that holds the leading edge of the image receiving paper on the drum.
A spring member is stretched so as to clamp a rotating driving member, and the driving member interlocks the movement of the thermal head toward and away from the thermal head and the opening/closing operation of the holder.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7.

FIG. 4 shows a state in which the recording operation has been completed or recording preparations have been completed. 20 is image receiving paper, and 21 is a paper guide. A holder 22 is rotatably mounted on a rotation shaft 24 fixed to the drum 23. Further, the holder 22 is always biased approximately toward the center of the drum 23 by a spring 25 fixed to the drum 23 whose one end is supported by a shaft 46. 26 is a transfer paper coated with heat-melting or heat-sublimating ink of different colors (cyan C, yellow Y, and magenta M) (see FIG. 7), which is wound around a supply reel 27, and the other end is wound around a take-up reel 28. It is locked to. 29,30
is a guide roller for the transfer paper 26. A thermal head 31 is composed of a heating element base 32, a base material 33, and a paper guide section 34. The thermal head 31 is fixed to an arm 36 rotatably attached to a rotation shaft 35. The arm 36 is a rotation axis 35
A spring 38 is stretched between an arm 37 rotatably attached to a rotation shaft 35 on the opposite side of the thermal head 31. A sector gear 39 rotatably attached to the rotation shaft 35 engages with a drive gear 40 connected to a drive motor (not shown).
The forward and reverse rotation of the drive gear 40 causes it to swing in the left-right direction. As shown in FIG. 4b, which is the EE cross section of FIG. 4a, the arm 36, a part 36a of the arm 37,
37b is bent, and the sector gear 39 comes into contact with 36a and 37a due to its forward and reverse rotation.
Push arms 36 and 37. As a result, the arms 36 and 37 will rotate around the axis 35. In this manner, the oscillating sector gear 39 functions as a driving member for driving the arms 36 and 37. The sliding lever 41 is slidably engaged with a fixed shaft 42 and a long hole 43, and has one end pivotally attached to the arm 37 via a shaft 44. In the state shown in FIG. 4, the sector gear 39 rotates in the direction of arrow F due to the rotation of the drive gear 40 and comes into contact with the arm 36, so that the tension of the spring 38 causes the arm 37 to rotate. The sliding lever 41 therefore slides along the shaft 42 and abuts the end of the holder 22, rotating the holder 22 against the spring 25 to open it. Further, the thermal head 31 is separated from the drum 23. When the image receiving paper 20 is inserted along the paper guide 21 in this state, when the leading edge of the image receiving paper 20 is located in the notch 45 of the drum 31, the drive gear 40 is reversed and the sector gear 39 is moved in the opposite direction to the arrow F. Accordingly, the holder 22 is rotated by the spring 25 and the image receiving paper 20 is clamped on the drum 23. The state is shown in FIG. At this time, the thermal head 31 is not yet pressed against the drum 23. In this state, the drive gear 40 stops. At this time, the sliding lever 41 is separated from the holder 22. Next, in this state, the drum 23 is attached to the holder 22.
The leading end of the image-receiving paper 20 is clamped, and the image-receiving paper 20 is rotated in the direction of arrow G while being pressed against the roller 47 that is always urged toward the approximate center of the drum 23 by a spring member (not shown). , the heating element of the thermal head 31 is slightly behind the notch 45 and the drum 2
It stops at the position where it touches 3. The transfer paper 26 is also taken up by the take-up reel 28 at the same time, and when the thermal head 31 comes into contact with the drum 23, approximately the leading edge of the first color (for example, cyan) of the ink applied to the transfer paper 26 is taken up by the thermal head 31. It stops at the position where it touches the heating element. At this time, arm 36 and arm 3
7 holds the sector gear 39 between the springs 38, and therefore, almost no load is applied to the drive motor that drives the drive gear 40 in this state. The drive gear 40 then continues to reverse, causing the sector gear 39 to rotate in the opposite direction to the arrow F, thus causing the thermal head 3 to rotate.
1 holds the image receiving paper 20 and the transfer paper 26, and the spring 38
It is pressed against the drum 23 with a tension of . This state is the sixth
As shown in the figure. When the thermal head 31 is brought into pressure contact with the drum 23, the drum 23 rotates in the direction of arrow G, and ink from the transfer paper 26 is transferred and recorded onto the image receiving paper 20 in accordance with a signal. At this time, the transfer paper 26 sent by the drum 23 is wound up by the take-up reel 28. When the first color is recorded, the drum 23 is temporarily stopped and the thermal head 31 is moved away to the state shown in FIG. Thereafter, the drum 23 rotates again in the direction of arrow G until the position where the first color is recorded coincides with the position of the heating element of the thermal head 31 during pressure contact, and then stops, and the transfer paper 26 is transferred to the second color of the applied ink. The take-up reel 28 stops winding until the approximate beginning of the color (for example, yellow) coincides with the position of the heating element of the thermal head 31 during pressure contact. Next, as shown in FIG. 6 again, the thermal head 31 is brought into pressure contact with the drum 23, and the second color is recorded on the image receiving paper 20 over the first color. Similarly, the third color is recorded over the first and second colors to obtain a color hard copy.

When recording is completed, the thermal head 31 rotates to the position shown in FIG. It rotates in the direction shown in Fig. 4 and stops. After this, the fourth
The sector gear rotates in the direction of arrow F to the position shown in the figure, the holder 22 rotates, and the receiving paper 20 is released and taken out as a color hard copy.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the image receiving paper 20
The leading end of the thermal head 31 is held between the drums 23 and recorded by being tightly wound around the drum 23, so that a color hard copy with no color shift can be obtained.Moreover, the sector gear 39 is attached by the spring 38 coaxially with the arm 36 to which the thermal head 31 is fixed. The arm 37 is pivoted so as to bias and clamp it, and the holder 22 is opened and closed by a sliding lever 41 that is pivoted to the arm 37 and slides on a shaft 42. Moreover, the drum 23 of the thermal head 31 is connected by the same spring 28.
Since the pressing and separating operations and the opening/closing operations of the holder 22 are performed in conjunction with each other, the device can be made smaller and less expensive, and moreover, can be highly reliable.

Effects of the Invention In the present invention, since the leading end of the image receiving paper is held on a drum and recorded by tightly winding it, a color hard copy without color shift can be obtained. Since the press contact and separation operations are performed in conjunction with the same drive gear (connected to the drive motor) and the same spring member,
The device can be made smaller, less expensive, and highly reliable in operation, which has great effects.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1, 2, and 3 are principle diagrams of a thermal recording device in a conventional example, and FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. 6 are principle diagrams of a thermal recording device in an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a plan view of the transfer paper used in the apparatus. 20... Receiving paper, 31... Thermal head, 2
3...Drum, 26...Transfer paper, 22...Holder, 36, 37...Arm, 41...Sliding lever, 38...Spring, 39...Sector gear, 40...
Drive gear, 35...rotation axis.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 An image-receiving paper, a transfer paper coated with ink, a drum for winding the image-receiving paper, a holder for holding the leading edge of the image-receiving paper on the drum, a swinging driving member, and a shaft rotatably mounted on a shaft. an arm A that is rotated around the shaft so that one end thereof is brought into contact with and away from the drum by being pushed and moved by the contact of the swinging driving member; and the end of the arm A. An arm that is pushed in the opposite direction to the arm A and driven to rotate around the shaft by contact between a recording head fixed to the shaft and a swinging drive member rotatably attached to the shaft. B and
An arm C has one end that engages with the arm B, and the other end that contacts the holder to open and close the holder, and a spring that is stretched between the arm A and the arm B. The position of contact between the drive member and the arms A and B, the position of the rotation axis of the arms A and B, the position of the connection shaft between the arm B and the arm C, and the position of the contact between the arm C and the holder. A first state in which the recording head pinches and presses the transfer paper against the drum via the recording paper and closes the holder by swinging the drive member; A thermal transfer recording device arranged in a positional relationship that produces a second state in which the head is separated from the drum and the holder is closed, and a third state in which the recording head is separated from the drum and the holder is opened.