JPH0412857A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To change the impressing time of a head while an image impressing signal is synchronized with the rotation of a platen roller by changing the frequency of a clock on a program thereby controlling the rotating speed of the platen roller driven by a stepping motor. CONSTITUTION:A second interruption is made every eight first interruptions by a set value. A stepping motor clock signal SMTCLK is outputted four times by eight first interruptions. In other words, the motor is rotated four steps. Therefore, if a set value of the time of the first interruption is changed, the stepping motor can be set at a free speed. For instance, if a platen roller 2 is rotated one line of an image when the stepping motor is rotated four steps, the line can be easily controlled by the number of the second interruptions.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a color video printer, and particularly to control means for a plurality of process means and the like.

[Prior Art] Generally, an image recording device such as a color video printer is composed of several operating sections such as a paper feed/discharge section, a head application section, an ink sheet drive section, and a platen roller drive section. A recording medium and an ink sheet are sandwiched between a head application section, and an image is formed on the recording medium by applying voltage from the head. In the case of a color video printer, in order to obtain a color image by sequentially repeating image formation in the three colors Y, M, and C, after the image formation in the first and second colors is completed, the leading end of the image printing on the recording medium is applied to the head application unit. must be transported. At this time, if the leading edge of the image print is misaligned, color misregistration occurs.

Therefore, in order to easily align the leading edge of image printing, a stepping motor has conventionally been used to drive the platen roller.

The stepping motor drive circuit is configured so that when one clock pulse is input, the stepping motor moves one step, and by changing the pulse rate of this clock, the rotation speed is changed. Furthermore, by synchronizing the clock of this drive circuit with the image application signal, it is possible to obtain prints without color shift.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] By the way, the use of ordinary photographic paper, 0) (P paper, sticker paper, etc.) as paper for color video printers is being considered. Naturally, different types of paper will affect process conditions. Therefore, the problem arises that the head application time must be changed depending on the type of paper.

Trying to change the head application time using a hardware configuration is complicated, and when the application time is changed,
The disadvantage is that the degree of freedom is limited.

Furthermore, if the same stepping motor is used to drive the fed paper at times other than during image printing, it is necessary to configure the stepping motor to be able to freely change the speed in order to shorten the overall printing time.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems in conventional image forming apparatuses.The present invention controls the rotational speed of a platen roller driven by a stepping motor by changing the black/red frequency in a program. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that can indirectly change head application time while synchronizing the rotation of a platen roller and an image application signal.

[Means and operations for solving the problems] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a plurality of process means for forming an image on a recording medium, a driving means for transporting the recording medium to the process means, and a plurality of process means for forming an image on a recording medium. , in an image forming apparatus comprising a stepping motor that drives the driving means, a drive circuit that drives the stepping motor, and a control means that controls each of the means and circuits, a first interruption to a processing procedure of the control means; A clock generated in an adjustable manner by a first interrupt program activated by the drive circuit is used as a clock pulse for the drive circuit;
The clock generated by the second interrupt based on the interrupt program is configured as a timing pulse for the plurality of process means.

In the image forming apparatus configured in this way, by changing the clock generated by the first interrupt program, the clock pulse of the drive circuit can be changed and the speed of the stepping motor can be changed. It becomes possible to indirectly change the time of application of the curd to the platen roller.

In addition, since the clock generated by the second interrupt based on the first interrupt program is used as the timing pulse of the process means, it is possible to synchronize the rotation of the platen roller driven by the stepping motor with the image application signal. It is easy to control the image application signal to the image sensor.

〔Example〕

Next, an example will be described. First, a mechanical section of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be explained. FIG. 1 is an external view of an embodiment in which an image forming apparatus according to the present invention is applied to a video color printer, in which 1a is an operation panel, 1b is a front door, 200 is a paper feeding unit with 78 units, and 300 is a paper ejection unit. 1 (Bl is the front door 1
b is opened, and the paper feed force center unit 200 and paper discharge tray 300 are removed. Figure 2 is a top view showing the frame of the device body 1;
, tc) indicate a front frame and a rear frame, respectively. The main body frame is front frame 4
Consisting of 8 carrier frames 49, front frame 48
The catcher frame 49 faces the stays 44 to 4.
They are connected by 7 and formed into a box shape. The front frame 48 is provided with holes 48a to 48k.
The rear frame 49 is provided with holes 49a to 49q.

A pair of cage L-rails 207 are fixed to the stay 44 between the frames 48 and 49 and facing each other in a direction perpendicular to both frames. Furthermore, as shown in the front view of FIG. 3, both frames 4849 have first
Guide 5. Second guide 6, third guide 7, fourth guide 8
is fixed, and 1. further rotatably supports the head unit 150. The rotation center shaft 152 has a hole of 48 g.
, is fixed at 49g.

A head drive shaft 180 that transmits the driving force for raising and lowering the head unit 150 is rotatably supported in holes 48f and 49f via bearings 20, as shown in FIG.

The platen roller 2 whose surface is made of rubber has a hole 48e.
, 49e are rotatably supported via bearings 12, as shown in FIG. Further, the pinch rollers 3 and 4 are attached to the holes 48 i and 48 and 49 i and 49 k via bearings 13 so that their movement directions are directed toward the center of the platen roller 2, respectively.

Then, so as to go around the bearings 13 and 12,
A pinch spring 14 is applied on the outside of both frames 48, 49, and this spring 14 causes the pinch roller 34 to
is pressed against the platen roller 2 with a constant force (approximately 1 kgf). A plastic knob 15 is press-fitted onto the shaft of the platen roller 2 on the outside of the front frame 48, while a platen gear 193 is fixed on the outside of the rear frame 49.

As shown in FIG. 4, a lever 19 is fixed to the head drive shaft 180 on the outside of the front frame 48, and a lever 19 is fixed on the outside of the rear frame 49.
81 is fixed, and drive arms 179 are fixed at two locations with pins inside both frames.

On the other hand, the head unit 50 is connected to the head rotation center axis 15.
The head arm 154 and the pressure arm 155 are equipped with two arms that can freely swing around the head arm 154 and the pressure arm 155.
The pressure arm 155 is located inside the head arm 154 with the spacer 153 in between.
52 is fitted. A head 159 is fixed to the tip of the head arm 154, and a pressure arm 155 corresponding to the back side of the head 159 is provided with studs 156 on both sides, and a spring 157 is supported by the stand 156. It is located. This spring 15
7 is compressed, one end is in contact with the helad arm 154 and the other end is in contact with the pressure arm 155, and due to this spring force, 2
Two arms 154, 155 are biased, and normally the pressure arm 155 is at one end 154a of the head arm 154.
, 154b to contain the spring force.

The pressure arm 155 also includes the drive arm 17.
A link 178 is rotatably provided at a position corresponding to 9, and a pin 1 provided at the other end of the link 178
78a and 178b are connected by fitting into holes formed at the tip of the drive arm 179. head 1
59 rotates around a head rotation center axis 152 and is positioned such that its printing portion faces toward the center of the platen roller 2.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 301 denotes a tongue used for pushing up the middle plate of the cassette, which will be described later. It is made of lubricating brass tink and is fitted around a tongue shaft 302 so as to be rotatable. As shown in the sixth diagram, two pins 303 are press-fitted into the tongue shaft 302, and these pins 303 and wall portions 301a and 301 provided on both end faces of the boss portion 301c of the tongue 301, respectively. b301a'
, 301b', the tongue 301L
The rotation angle with respect to the tongue shaft 302 is regulated.

Then, the spring 304 is attached to the boss portion 301c of the tongue 301.
loosely fits around the outer periphery of the tongue 301 , and locks one end to the tongue 301 and the other end to the pin 303 .
A is urged in a direction to press the pin 303 into contact with the pin 303. Further, a lever 305 is fixed to one end of the tongue shaft 302 by caulking, and a boss portion 305a is attached to the lever 305 so as to protrude in a direction perpendicular to the lever 305. The tongue shaft 302 has holes 48h and 4 in both frames.
9h, the lever 305 is located outside the rear frame 49, and the tongue 301 is located approximately at the center between both frames.

Next, the paper feed drive unit 250 shown in FIG. 3 will be explained. The paper feed drive unit 250 includes a paper feed roller 251 with rubber in the center and a forward roller 252.
Both rollers 251 and 252 are shown in Fig. 7.
holes 285a, 285a' and 28 formed in the side plates of the housing 285, as shown in
5b, 285b' via bearings 279 so as to be rotatable. As shown in the seventh diagram, the housing 285 is provided with holes 285 d and 285 e from which the central rubber portions of both rollers 251252 protrude.

A paper feed gear 266 and a forward gear 265 are respectively fixed to each roller 251 and 252 on the outside of the housing 285, as shown in the eighth diagram.

On the other hand, the retard arm 255 has stands 2 at both ends.
54 is caulked, and hole 2 of the housing 285
85h, 285i (Fig. 7+B), [C)) and are supported so as to be swingable. A lever 256 is fixed to one side of the stud 254 in the correct size, and a spring receiver 257 is fixed to the other side in the normal size. Retard springs 258 and 259 are loosely fitted to the outer periphery of the stand 254 inside the lever 256 and the spring receiver 257, and one end of the retard spring 258 and 259 is attached to the housing 285, and the other end is rotatably attached to the tart arm 255. It is in contact with the bearing 279 of the supported reverse roller 253. The reverse roller 253 has a central portion made of a rubber material, and the central rubber portion is supported by the retard springs 25B and 259.
As shown in FIG. 8 (old), the rubber portion of the forward roller 252 is biased.

A gear 261 is rotatably fitted to the end of the reverse roller shaft on the outside of the retard arm 255, and further outside the gear 261, a banodhan 263 is fixed to the reverse roller shaft. A pad 262 made of synthetic fiber is attached to the band handle 263. A clutch spring 260 is compressed and inserted inside the gear 261, and urges the gear 261 toward the pad 262 between it and the retard arm 255.

A large number of studs are provided on the outer surface of one side plate 285g of the housing 285, and gears 267 to 271 are rotatably fitted and disposed on the stand as shown in FIG. . The rotation of gear 269 is transmitted to gear 271 via gear 270, and forward gear 265. It is configured to be transmitted to paper feed gear 266 via gear 267. Further, the signal is transmitted from gear 268 to gear 261 via idler gear 264.

The glosser 272 shown in the eighth diagram is the paper feed roller 251.
and the housing 285, one end 272 thereof.
a is the hole 285c of the housing 285 (Fig. 7 W,
fDj), and the other end 272b is the housing 2
85 protrudes from the hole 285e. Nya, ta 272
The tip of the other end 272b is bifurcated and is positioned on both sides of the rubber portion of the forward roller 252.

Further, the intermediate portion 272C of the shutter 272 is connected to the paper feed roller 2.
Since the movement is restricted by the shaft of 51, the gloss
72 can be moved slightly up and down around one end 272a,
The other bifurcated end 272b is arranged in a positional relationship in which it enters and exits from the hole 285e. Note that 273 is stud 2762
This is the shutter holder attached to 77.

) and E in FIG. 8 are diagrams showing a guide 275 provided in the paper feed drive unit 250 and a paper feed sensor 278 attached to the guide 275 that detects the presence or absence of paper to be supplied and its type. , the paper feed sensor 278 is connected to the guide 2
75, and the guide 275 is attached to the star/nod 276277 via the shutter holder 273 and the spring 274, as shown in the eighth diagram 1.

The paper feed drive unit Unino l-250 configured in this way
is inserted through the hole 49c of the rear frame 49, and the bearing 27
9 are fitted into holes 48c and 48d of the front frame 48 for positioning, and are fixed to the rear frame 49 with screws. Then, as shown in FIG. 3, the paper feed sensor 278
is arranged so as to face the paper feeding outlet unit 200.

The paper ejection roller 11 shown in FIG. 3 has both frame holes 48i,
49i via a bearing 279, as shown in FIG. A gear 280 is fixed to the shaft end of the paper discharge roller 11 on the outside of the rear frame 49. Paper ejection pin unit 50 shown in FIG.
is configured such that a pinch roller 52 is rotatably and loosely supported via a bearing on an arm 54 having a rotational center axis 51, and the bearing portion is pressed by a spring to cause the pinch roller 52 to move toward the paper ejection direction. It comes into pressure contact with the central rubber portion of the roller 11.

Further, the arm 54 is provided with a stud 53 extending to the outside of the carrier frame 49.

As shown in FIG. 10, the rack unit 350 includes a rack plate 354 made of sheet metal and a first rack 351. Second rack 352. It is constructed by assembling a cam 353 and a detection plate 355 made of sheet metal. The first rank 351 has a rack on the top and a first rank on the side.
As shown in the first picture, a long groove 351a is formed. Note that 111ilW shows a view from above of FIG. 1O. The second rack 352 is similarly provided with a rack on its upper surface, and elongated grooves 352a and 352b are formed on its side surfaces. The cam 353 has cam grooves 353a, 353b, 35 in a closed loop as shown in FIG.
3c, 353d are formed, and a groove 353d is formed.
A leaf spring 356 is attached to close the opening. Further, the cam 353 is provided with a long hole groove 353e and a cam groove 353f above the long hole groove 353e. The boss portion 305a of the lever 305 provided at one end of the tongue shaft 302 shown in FIG.
353d.

Note that FIG. 10fB] is a view of FIG. 10 seen from below, and shows the sensors 357 and 358 for detecting the detection plate 355.
The figure shows the arrangement of the .

As shown in FIG. 12, studs 42 and 43 are provided on the rear frame 49, and these stands 42,
43 and the long hole groove 353e of the rack unit 350,
353a are fitted, and the rack unit 350 is slidably attached to the rear frame 49. Studs 40 and 41 are further provided upright on the rear frame 49, and the drive frame 39 is fixed to the ends thereof. Three types of motors and a plurality of gears that mesh with their worm gears are rotatably held in the drive frame 39 by studs erected on the drive frame 39.

That is, first, as shown in FIG. 4, a gear 184.degree. 182 that meshes with a hand lift motor 185 and its worm is provided. Also, as shown in the 13th prisoner, the gear 18 that engages with the worm of the ink sheet take-up motor 186
7 is provided, and the gear 187 transmits power to a torque limiter +B+34 rotatably provided on the stud 32. Furthermore, transmission gears 189 and 190 that mesh with the main motor 188 are attached to the drive frame 39, as shown in the 14th diagram.

Also, from the drive frame 39 to the rear frame 49 side, the first
As shown in Fig. 4, the holder 31 is spot welded, and the gear slider 30 is held swingably around the hole 31a of the holder 31, as shown in Fig. 14 fEI. The gear slider 30 is connected to the transmission gear 190.
The tip of the elastic member 29 is located between the first and second gears of the gear slider 30, and the elastic member 29 is fixed with a screw, and the tip 29a of the elastic member 29 and the tip protrusion 30a of the gear slider 30 are connected to each other. The first gear of the gear 190. The second gear is in contact with elastic force. Also, the rear end 3 of the gear slider 30
0b is applied by the biasing force of the spring 28 (Fig. 10^, a3)
Slopes 354d, e, f of the rank board 354 shown in
It is designed to come into pressure contact with the

Further, as shown in FIG. 13, the drive frame 39 has
A stand 33 is erected, and another torque limiter ^35 is rotatably held around the stand 33. Furthermore, a ratchet lock 37 is rotatably fitted to the tip of a stud 38 that is erected on the drive frame 39, and a ratchet lock 37 is fitted on one of its boss portions 37a, as shown in Figure 13 (old). The screw 36 is tensioned, and the tip 37b of the ratchet lock 37 is connected to a torque limiter (A
135 is engaged with the ratent portion 35a on the outer periphery. The other boss portion 37a of the ratchet lock 37 is
As shown in FIG. 12, the second rack 352 of the rack unit 350 is engaged with the long hole grooves 352a and 352b.

As shown in FIG. 12, a cassette lock 208 is swingably fitted into a stud 42 provided upright on the rear frame 49, and a pin 2
08a is caulked, and its tip is adapted to engage with the elongated hole groove 353e and cam groove 353f of the cam 353 of the rank unit 350, as shown in FIG. 11fB). The cassette lock 208 is also biased upwardly by a spring, so that the pin 208 a
are in contact with the upper walls of the grooves 353e and 353f,
Rotation of the cassette lock 208 is restricted. One end 208 b of the set lock 208 is inserted into the inside of the rear frame 49 through a hole 49 d in the rear frame 49 .

When the rear frame 49, the rank unit 350, and the drive frame 39 are combined, as shown in FIG.
4.182.181 to rotate the hend drive shaft 180 forward and reverse. Furthermore, the first rack 35 is connected via the gear 183.
1 to reciprocate the rack unit 350.

On the other hand, the rotation of the ink take-up motor 186 is
As shown in the open hole, the torque is transmitted to the gear 187 and drives the torque limiter [B134. The driving force of the main motor 188 is transmitted to the platen gear 193 via a gear 189190, as shown in the 14th prisoner.
93 is driven. At the same time, the rear frame 49 in FIG.
From gear 189 to gear 19 as shown in the diagram showing the outside of
The signal is transmitted to the gear 269 of the paper feed drive unit uni-nod 250 via L 192, and the paper feed roller 251, forward roller 252, and reverse roller 253 are driven. At the same time, the rotation of gear 269 is
It is transmitted to the paper ejection roller 11 via.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 15, the second rack 352 of the rank unit 350 includes an idler gear 282.
are in mesh with each other, and the reciprocating motion of the rack unit 350 is transmitted to the cam gear 281. A cam is formed on the outer periphery of the cam gear 281, and at a part of its rotation angle, the tip 25 of the lever 256 (FIG. 8) attached to one end of the retard arm 255 of the paper feed drive unit unit 250
6a and the cam are arranged in a positional relationship in which they are in contact with each other. Further, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 15, a stud 28 provided on the paper feed drive unit 7) 250
6 and the boss portion 256b of the lever 256 form the link 28.
3 is held and rotatably fitted into the boss portion 256b, and the stud 286 and the elongated hole 283b engage to restrict rotation. Depending on the rotational position of the cam gear 281, the lever 25
6 is lifted and is configured to lift, via a link 283, a stud 53 provided on the arm 54 holding the pinch roller 52.

The two torque limiters 34 and 35 are attached to the rear frame 49.
It is arranged so as to protrude inside the rear frame 49 from the hole 49b. As shown in the thirteenth opening, the torque limiter 34 transfers the driving force input to the gear portion 34a to the output end portion 34b via the friction clutch, for example, at a rate of approximately 5
It is configured to transmit driving force with a constant torque of 00g-C11. On the other hand, the torque limiter 35 is equipped with a ratchet 35a, and if the tip 37b of the ratchet lock 37 is apart from the ratchet 35a, a torque of, for example, 5 Qg-cm is required to rotate the output end 35b. shall be. Tip part 3 of ratchet lock 37
7b is in contact with the ratchet 35a, the output end 35b is locked and does not rotate.

On the other hand, the ink sheet cartridge 100 whose drive is controlled by the torque limiters 34 and 35 is shown in FIG.
), to the winding core 101 and the winding core (A) 101
It is composed of an ink stitch 03 initially wound on the side and a winding core CB+102 for winding up the ink stitch 03. The ink sheet cartridge 100 is
Rear frame 49 from hole 48a of front frame 48
Hole 100a100b inserted in the direction and provided in the protrusion
A pin installed vertically on the front frame 48 (not shown) is fitted to determine the position on the front frame side, and on the rear frame side, the output end 35b of the torque limiter 34.35 and the winding core lAll01. Output end 34b and winding core 1
B+102 is loosely engaged and positioned. Therefore, the winding core old) 102 is the ink winding motor 186.
101 becomes the side that winds up the ink sheet 103 via the torque limiter 34, and the side that sends out the ink no. 03 to the winding core. Torque limiter 3
5 has a function of applying a constant load torque to the winding core (A) 101, and a load higher than the winding torque of the torque limiter 34 (the tip portion 37b of the ratchet 35a and ratchet lock 37).
It is equipped with a function to stop winding by applying a load (due to the retention of

In addition, the torque limiter 34 has a
As shown in FIG. 3, a black and white pattern 34d is provided radially on the back surface portion 34c that rotates together with the output end portion 34b, and a reflective sensor 2 is provided near the pattern 34d.
7 (13th diagram) is provided to detect the rotational speed of the output end 34b of the torque limiter 34.

In addition, the ink sheet cartridge 100 has a
As shown in Fig. 10, a plurality of holes 100d are formed to indicate the type of ink sheet force, and as shown in Fig. An actuator 104a of the sensor 104 is provided in the hole 100d formed in the ink sheet cartridge 100.
Correspondingly, the type of ink sheet in the ink sheet cartridge 100 can be detected. That is, there are a plurality of types of ink sheet cartridges 100 depending on the pattern type, physical property values, etc. of the ink sheet 103, and the combination of holes 100d changes depending on the type. With the ink sheet cartridge 100 set in the printer main body 1,
The part where od is formed is the actuator 1
By pressing 04a, it is detected which type of ink sheet cartridge is inserted.

The paper feeding power center unit 200 is shown in FIG. 18 ~ [C1
As shown in FIG. 1st side guide 203° 2nd
It is composed of a side guide 205 and a rear end guide 206. The middle plate 202 has protrusions 202 a on both sides of the rear end.
, 202 b into the hole 201 of the cassette frame 201
f, and the distal end portion 202c side is configured to be able to rotate up and down about the protruding portions 202a and 202b.

The sheets 400 shown in FIG. 19 are stacked and stored on the intermediate plate 202 with the printed side facing down and the mark side 400a indicating the type of sheet facing upward. At that time, the paper 400 includes the text 203a203b of the first side guide 203, the bulge 205b of the second side guide 205, the edge 206a of the rear end guide 206 of 205C1, and the cassette frame 2.
It is roughly positioned by the protrusion 201g of 01.

Furthermore, a presser spring 204 is provided on the first side guide 203, and this presser spring 204 has an urging force in the direction of the second side guide 205. This presser spring 204 causes one side edge of the paper to be pushed to the second side guide 2.
05 direction, and its protrusions 205b, 205c
The other side edge of the paper is pressed against and positioned.

When using larger size paper, move the second side guide 205 and trailing edge guide 206 to the cassette frame 2.
01, and by changing the position of the first side guide 203.

The mark 400b on the back side 400a of the paper is in the form of a barcode, and different barcodes are attached depending on the combination of paper size, type (standard, OHP, tack sticker, etc.), for example.

The paper feeding unit 200 includes a cassette rail 20
The protruding parts 2 on both sides are attached to the guide part 207a (Fig. 2) of 7.
01a and 201b are guided and inserted from the hole 48b of the front frame 48 toward the rear frame 49. In the hole 49n of the rear frame 49, the hole 49n shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 0(C), the launch component 209 is arranged to correspond to the hook portion 201c of the cassette frame 201, and by inserting the paper feeder unit 200 into the main frame, the hook portion 201
C is locked with the launch part 209. The 20th diagram shows a state in which the hook part 201c is locked,
To release the locked state, as shown in FIG.
A known latch component 209 is used which is configured to be released by pushing C into the inner part of the latch component 209 against a spring. FIG. 20 10 shows that by pushing in this way, the hook part 20ic is attached to the latch part 209.
It shows that the lock is released.

One end 208b (FIG. 12) of the cassette lock 208 described above is arranged to enter and exit the gap between the rear frame 49 and the cassette frame 201, and the one end 208b is inserted into the gap. In the state,
Since the stroke S for locking the hook part 201c to the launch part 209 is no longer maintained, it is also impossible to lock the paper feed force center part unit 200 to the latch part 209, and it is also impossible to lock the paper feed force center unit 200 to the latch part 209, and also to release it from the locked state. It has become impossible to do anything.

As shown in FIG. 21(B), the paper discharge tray 300 has a cylindrical shape, has openings 300a and 300b, and positioning protrusions 300c and 300.
d is provided. And paper feed cassette section unit 2
00 from the hole 48b of the front frame 48 to the rear frame 49 side, and the hole 4 of the rear frame 49.
The protrusions 300c and 300d are fitted into and positioned at 91.49m. Also, the protrusion 300c,
A magnet 300e is fixed to the side surface 300d, and is held in close contact with the rear frame 49. The paper discharge tray 300 can be easily removed by hand against the adhesion of the mug butt 300e.

The protrusion 300c of the paper ejection tray 300 and the protrusion 201d (18th diagram) of the paper feed cassette section unit 200 described above, when the paper ejection tray 300 and the paper feed cassette section unit 200 are placed in the main body 1 It is configured to protrude outward from the rear frame 49 and to be located at a portion that blocks a photo-ink rubber sensor (not shown). Then, this sensor detects the paper feed cassette unit 2.
00 and the paper discharge tray 300 are detected to be empty.

Next, the operation of the color video printer configured as described above will be explained. First, the following members are interlocked by driving the head-adjacent motor 185.

(2) First, the head drive shaft 180 shown in FIG. 4 rotates, and the drive arm 179 moves the link 178, so that the pressure arm 155 rotates about the head rotation center axis 152. This rotation of pressure arm 155 leads to rotation of spring 157 and head arm 154. The head 159 itself rotates together with the head arm 154.

- Due to the meshing between the gear 183 and the first rank 351, the U/TSU unit 350 reciprocates. As shown in FIG.
By detecting the ends of the detection plate 355 itself using the home position sensor 357 and the position sensor 358, the position of the head can be determined as the home position (H, P) and the A to E positions shown in FIG. They can be detected in association with each other.

■ In conjunction with the reciprocating movement of the rank unit 350, the cam slopes 354 d and 354 e of the rack plate 354
, 354 f, as shown in Figure 14 W, CB+,
Move the gear slider 30 and move the gear 19 in conjunction with it.
0 slides. When the head 159 reaches the home position (H, P), A, B position, the gear 190 does not engage with the platen gear 193, and the platen roller 2 is not driven. On the other hand, when the hand 159 is at the C, D, or E position, the gear 190 meshes with the platen gear 193, and the platen roller 2 is driven.

■ Also, in conjunction with the reciprocating movement of the rank unit 350, a long hole groove 352a provided on the side surface of the second rack 352 is provided.
, 352b pushes the boss portion 37a of the ratchet lock 37, and the ratchet 7) lock 37 approaches and separates from the ratchet portion 35a of the torque limiter 8 35 (see Fig. 13).
A), (B)). When in contact, it acts to prevent rotation of the torque limiter 835, and when separated, it is released. Therefore, the device A of the hand 159 is at the home position, A-C.
Up to the position, the torque limiter (A135) is locked and can rotate freely only at the D and E positions.

- In conjunction with the reciprocating movement of the rack unit 350, the idler gear 282 is rotated by the second rack 352, and the cam gear 281 is also rotated (see Figs. 9 and 15).
(see figure). As a result, when the cam surface of the cam gear 28+ comes into contact with the lever 256 provided on the paper feed drive unit 250 side and pushes it up, the reverse roller 253 separates from the forward roller 252, and at the same time, the gear 261 also separates from the eye try gear 264. The driving force is not transmitted to gear 261. Further, the link 283 is pushed up and the stud 53 protruding from the paper ejection pinch section unit 50 is lifted up, thereby separating the paper ejection roller 11 and the pinch roller 5.
2 nips are released.

On the contrary, the cam surface of the cam gear 281 is
In the state where the rehearse roller 253 is not in contact with the forward roller 252 at all, the rehearse roller 253 is in contact with the forward roller 252 by the force of the retard springs 258 and 259. The gear 261 then engages with the eye try gear 264, and can be driven in the opposite direction to the forward roller 252 and paper feed roller 251. Further, the link 283 moves downward, and its upper edge 283a
is separated from the stud 53, and the paper discharge roller 11 and the pinch roller 52 are in a nip state.

As a result of the above operations, only when the head position is in positions B and C, the paper ejection roller and reverse roller section are in a nip state, respectively, and in other positions,
The nip is released.

(2) Further, in conjunction with the reciprocating movement of the rack unit 350, the boss portion 305 a of the lever 305 provided at the end of the tongue shaft 302 fitted into the cam grooves 353 a to 353 d of the cam 353 is moved so that the hand position is the home position. (H
, P) to the E position, Fig. 11G'
r&':-OiT:,,P,A,P,B,P,CP.

As shown by D, P, and E, the groove 353a is lifted upward, passes through the groove 353b, and enters the groove 353C. When the head position moves from the E position to the home position, it passes from the groove 353C to the groove 353d,
Push the leaf spring 35G downward and return to the groove 353a. Only when the head position is in the B position, the tongue shaft 302 rotates and the tongue 301 enters into the cassette frame through the hole 201e of the cassette frame 201 by the force of the spring 304, pushes up the middle plate 202, and loads on it. The back side of the paper is pressed against the paper feed roller 251.

In other positions, the tongue 301 is lowered and retracted to the outside of the cassette frame 201.

■ Furthermore, the pin 208a of the cassette lock 208 is interlocked with the reciprocating movement of the rank unit 350 and inserted into the cam grooves 353e and 353f of the cam 353.
In the 11th Kaida), P, A, P, B, P
.

As shown by C, P, D, P, E, cam groove 353e35
Go up and down along the upper wall of 3r. Only when the head 159 is at the home position (H, P), the pin 208a is pushed down by the cam groove 353e, and as a result, one end 208b of the cassette lock 208 is locked in the position of the paper feed cassette section unit 200 and the capture frame 49. The gap between them is retracted, and the paper feed cassette unit 200 becomes removable. In other positions, one end 208 b of the cassette lock 208 enters the gap between the paper feed cassette section unit 200 and the capture frame 49, making it impossible to attach or detach the paper feed force center section unit 200.

■ Also, as the head drive shaft 180 rotates, the lever 1 is moved outside the front frame 48 as shown in FIG.
9 rotates. When the head 159 is in a position other than the home position, the lever 19 is separated from the pin 16a of the link 16, and as shown in FIG. It's being dragged. At that time, the boss part 17a is in a position corresponding to the boss part (not shown) of the front door 1b (first diagram), and when the front door 1b is pushed, the boss part comes into contact with the boss part 17a and cannot be pushed. Therefore, the front door 1b cannot be opened.

Then, only when the hand 159 reaches the home position, the lever 19 pushes the pin 16a of the link 16, so the slide member 17 moves against the urging force of the spring 18, and moves away from the tip of the boss part of the front door 1b. The boss portion 17a comes off and the front door 15 can be pushed. In this state, by pushing the front door 1b more than a predetermined stroke, the boss part is released from the latch member and the first
As shown in Figure 81, the front door 1b can be opened.

Table 1 shows the correspondence between the above operations (1) to (2) and position 7 of the head 159.

Table 1 Next, the printing order will be explained based on Table 1, FIGS. 22-F, and FIG. 24 showing the relationship between the printing order and the head position.

(1) When not printing, the F159 is in the home position (H, P) (Fig. 22, 8), and the paper feed unit 200 can be attached and detached, and the front door 1b can be opened and closed to attach and detach the ink sheet cartridge 100. is possible. A sensor (not shown) detects that the front door 1b is closed, and also detects that the front door 1b is closed. Once the paper discharge tray 300 and the ink sheet cartridge 100 are installed, printing operation becomes possible.

(II) When the print signal is received, as shown in FIG.
Move up to. At this time, the ink sheet sensor 10 (third
Since the head unit 150 moves to the vicinity of the figure),
The surface of the head unit 150 facing the ink sheet sensor IO functions as a reflector and reflects the light from the sensor 10 that passes through the ink sheet 103. Ink sheet 103
When is C (cyan), 1M (magenta), or Y (yellow), the light from the reflective sensor 10 passes through, but when the black strip provided in front of Y (yellow) is located, the sensor No light passes through. By driving the ink sheet winding motor 186, the ink sheet 103 is wound onto the core (B1102) via the torque limiter 34. When the ink sheet sensor 10 detects the tip of the black band,
The drive of the ink sheet take-up motor 186 is stopped.

(I[[) Next, the head 159 moves to the A position (Fig. 22 (Ball), and then moves to the B position (Ball
Move to figure (C)). During this time, the ink sheet 103
Since the feeding side of the ink sheet 103 is locked, the ink sheet take-up motor 186 is driven again to remove slack in the ink sheet 103. When the main motor 188 rotates normally, the paper 400 is fed by the paper feed roller 251. The forward roller 252 and the reverse roller 253 are in pressure contact, but before the paper 400 is nipped, the reverse roller 253 is driven by the forward roller 252 in the same direction as the forward roller, contrary to its driving direction. .

Once the paper is nipped, the reverse roller 253 is driven in the paper advancing direction.

When a plurality of sheets of paper 400 are fed to the nip portion during paper feeding, only the topmost sheet is fed by the forward roller 252, and the remaining sheets are fed by the reverse roller 253 toward the paper feeding end unit 200. sent back to. Therefore, the paper 400 is separated into only one sheet and fed toward the platen roller 2. Also, the force of the retard springs 258, 259 and the flange springs 260 of the paper feed drive unit 250, the butts 262. The friction coefficients of the paper feed roller 251, the forward roller 252, and the reverse roller 253, and the strength of the spring 304 of the tongue portion are set to optimal values for separating the fed paper into one sheet.

The leading edge of the paper fed in this way is directed upward along the fourth guide 8, then directed downward by the third guide 7, and is bent into the nip between the platen roller 2 and the pinch roller 3. comes into contact with. Note that at this time, the platen roller 2 is stopped. The paper is further fed and the feeding is stopped after a slight loop amount has been formed. The loop amount is set by counting the time since the registration sensor 9 (FIG. 3) detects the paper.

(IV) Next, the head moves to the C position (see FIG. 22). At this time, the tongue 301 is lowered and the gear 190
meshes with the platen gear 193. The paper remains looped and its leading edge is pressed against the nip between the platen roller 2 and the pinch roller 3.

The main motor 188 is driven again, and the leading edge of the paper is bent over the platen roller 2 by the stiffness of the paper due to the loop.

The feeding is temporarily stopped in a state where the nip is about 2 mo. Through this operation, the skew of the paper in the feeding direction of the platen roller 2 is corrected, and the leading edge of the paper is positioned (registered) with respect to the platen roller 2.

(V) Next, the head moves to the E position (FIG. 22 (Fl)). With this operation, the reverse roller 253 also retreats downward, and the paper discharge pinch roller 52 also retreats upward.

Then, a pinch roller 151 (FIG. 3) provided in the head 159 and the head unit 150 presses the ink sheet 103 against the platen roller 2. In this state, the platen roller 2 is rotated forward by the main motor 188, and the leading edge of the paper is guided by the ink seam 03 pressed around the platen roller 2 and nipped by the next pinch roller 4.

After being nipped by the two pinch rollers 3 and 4, printing of the first color is performed according to the heat generated by the head 159.

The printing range of the first color is limited to a range in which the trailing edge of the paper does not come off the pinch roller 3. During printing, the paper 40 must be applied only to the three pinch rollers 34, 151 and the head 159.
0 is meant to be nipped. Therefore, during printing, the paper 400 is not affected by the conveyance forces of the other rollers. Note that during printing of the first color, the ink sheet take-up motor 186 is also driven, but the ink sheet 03 is moved by the head 159 to the platen roller 2.
Since it is strongly nipped, it is wound up at the circumferential speed of the platen roller 2. At this time, by detecting the number of black and white patterns 34d provided on the rear end surface 34C of the torque limiter 34 with the reflective sensor 27, the winding core 11
The diameter of the ink sheet wound up in 02 can be estimated.

(V[) When printing of the first color is completed, the head descends to the D position (El in FIG. 22). Then, the ink sheet winding motor 186 is driven, winds up the ink sheet 103 to the next color position, and then stops.

The winding amount at this time is determined by the estimated value of the diameter of the ink sheet in the above-mentioned winding core 102, and the appropriate amount is sent out by counting the black and white patterns 34d with the reflective sensor 27 again. At the same time, the main motor 188
is reversed and feeds the paper 400 into the paper feeding receptacle unit 200.
However, during the printing of the first color, the trailing edge of the paper came off the tip 275a (Fig. 3) of the guide 275 of the paper feed drive unit 250, and the paper's stiffness caused it to touch the bottom surface of the third guide 7. Therefore, the paper does not return to the reverse roller 253, but passes between the guide 275 and the third guide 7, and is further conveyed to the paper path formed by the lower surface of the paper discharge tray 300 and the guide 275. Therefore, during this printing process, the trailing edge of the paper may be stacked in the paper feed port or the reverse roller 253. The paper feed roller 2511 never hits the forward roller 252.

The reverse rotation is performed within a range in which the leading edge of the paper does not come out of the nip of the pinch roller 4, and is returned to a position before the previous position where printing of the first color was started, and then stopped.

Next, the head moves again to the E position (FIG. 22 [F]), and the platen roller 2 starts normal rotation.

Printing of the second color is started at the timing when the leading edge of the paper comes to the position where printing of the first color was started. Since a stepping motor is used as the main motor 188, the amount of forward rotation and reverse rotation of the platen roller 2 is controlled by the number of pulses.

The steps (V) and (VT) are repeated depending on the number of times of duplicate printing required.

(■) When the last printing is completed, the head moves to the C position (Fig. 22 (D)), and the leading edge of the paper is placed at the paper ejection roller 1.
1 and the pinch roller 52, and the platen roller 2
is ejected as the motor rotates. The printed paper enters through the hole 300a of the paper discharge tray 300 and is discharged into the paper discharge tray 300. The operator can take out the printed paper to the outside of the apparatus main body 1 through another hole 300b opened on the front side of the apparatus main body 1.

At the same time, since the feeding side of the ink sheet 03 is locked, the ink sheet winding motor 186 is driven to remove the deflection of the ink sheet 103.

(■) Next, move the head to the home position (22nd diagram)
to end the print operation. At this time, the next ink sheet black band is positioned before reaching the ink sheet sensor 10.

Next, the type of paper 400 and the method for detecting both sides will be explained. In the color video printer of this embodiment, when using a thermal sublimation type ink sheet, a special paper corresponding to the ink sheet is used.
There are several types depending on the combination of materials etc. For example, materials include regular printing paper (all white), postcards,
There are preprinted paper, OHP transparent paper, tack sticker paper, etc.

It is necessary to detect which size and material of paper is stored in the paper feed cassette section unit 200, and perform printing characteristic control that is appropriate for each paper.

For example, it is necessary to control printing length, printing energy, printing start position, printing width, etc., and these image forming conditions are
By detecting the type of paper, switching control is performed by a switching means (not shown).

In this embodiment, the mark 400b printed on the back surface 400a of the paper 400 is changed depending on the type of paper 400, and the mark 400b is printed on the paper feed sensor 278.
feed it while reading it. The mark 400b is used, for example, as a bar code. As a result of reading and detecting the mark during feeding, if non-compliant paper is fed, the main motor 188 is immediately activated by a control signal from a control circuit (not shown) based on a detection signal from the paper feed sensor 27B. The paper feed roller 251 is rotated in the opposite direction, and the non-conforming paper is transferred to the paper feed receptacle unit 7) 200.
Make a movement to return it to the inside.

At the same time, an alarm signal is sent and displayed.

Next, operations based on control signals based on other detection signals of the paper feed sensor 278 will be described. The paper feed sensor 278 is a reflective sensor, and as shown in FIGS. 8(D) and [F],
It is attached to the lower surface of the guide 275 of the paper feed drive unit 7) 250, and is positioned above the middle plate 202 in the paper feed cassette unit 200, as shown in FIG. . Note that the middle plate 202 is colored black.

When the head moves from the home position to the D position (FIG. 22 [F]) in response to a print signal, or when feeding paper, the paper 400 is moved to the middle plate 202 by the tongue 301.
The paper is pressed against the paper feed roller 251 via the paper.

At that time, if the paper 400 is not stored in the middle plate 202, the paper feed sensor 278 detects the black color of the middle plate 202 and determines that there is no paper, and does not enter the paper feed operation and returns the front and back to the home position. At the same time, an alarm signal is sent to the display unit. When paper is stacked on the middle plate 202, the paper feed sensor 278 detects the white color of the paper 400 and starts a paper feeding operation.

If the mark 400b is not detected by the paper feed sensor 278 within a certain period of time after the paper is fed, it is determined that the paper was placed in the drawer with the wrong side facing up.
The fed paper is returned to the paper feeding cassette section unit 200, the head is returned to the home position, and an alarm signal is sent to the display section.

Next, the operation of the ink sort cartridge detection sensor 104 will be explained. The ink sheets 103 in the ink sheet cartridge 100 are divided into a plurality of types in order to obtain optimal images based on different color patterns based on the difference in print length depending on the length of the paper, and differences in the material of the paper.

Therefore, it is necessary to use pairs of ink sheet cartridges that are compatible with the paper type. Therefore, the ink sheet cartridge detection sensor 104 is provided with a plurality of sensors, and the corresponding holes 100d on the cartridge side are provided.
The presence or absence of the ink sheet cartridge 100 and its type are detected based on the combination of formation locations.

As mentioned above, the type of paper and the type of ink sheet cartridge are detected, and the control circuit determines whether or not each is compatible, and only when it is determined that they are not compatible, a control signal is sent. Based on this, the motor is driven, the paper is returned to the paper feeding force center unit 200, the head is moved to the home position, and a nonconformity display and an alarm are displayed on the display section.

In this embodiment, the position for detecting the black band of the ink sheet 03 was described as the D position, but the ink sheet sensor 10 is located upstream, which is closer to the head rotation center axis 152 than the downstream side of the image forming section. Since the ink sheet 103 is arranged on the side and is formed so that the ink sheet 103 passes between a part of the head and the ink sheet sensor 10, there is a margin in detection accuracy with respect to the head position. Therefore, it is possible to detect the ink sheet black band in a wide range from the home position to the E position. Further, although a part of the head facing the ink sheet sensor is made of a color having a high reflectance to have a reflector function, a separate reflector may also be provided.

Next, the configuration of a control device for driving and controlling the mechanism section will be explained. First, the overall configuration will be explained based on the block diagram of FIG. 25. As shown in FIG. 25, the control device is roughly divided into two parts: an image editing section 501 and an engine section 502. The image editing section 501 edits and develops image print information input as an RGB signal or NTSC signal, outputs the image print information to the end 159, and also controls the operation panel. . The engine section 502 is a section that controls the mechanical section of the color video printer and causes it to perform a printing operation. Between the image editing section 501 and the engine section 502,
A communication line is formed, control information is exchanged, and each part of the engine section 502 is operated by exchanging this control information.

A peripheral portion of the CPU 303 of the engine section 502 includes a sensor section 504. Ink sheet drive section 505. Position drive section 506. Stamping motor drive section 50
It consists of 7. The sensor unit 504 is a part that manually receives detection signals from the sensors installed to operate each mechanism of the color video printer. The ink sheet drive unit 505 is a drive unit for the ink sheet take-up motor 186.

The drive of this motor 186 is controlled by a signal IMT.

The position drive unit 506 is connected to the head lift motor 18.
5. This is a drive section that drives 5. While rotating this motor 185 in forward and reverse directions, the detection plate 3 of the rack unit 350
55 by the home position sensor 357 and position sensor 358, the head 159 is set to H.
Move to each position P, A, B, C, D, E.

The motor 185 is driven by the signal HUD1. It is controlled by HUD2, and the drive signal HUD is shown in Table 2.
I shows the relationship between the driving states of the HUD 2 and the motor 185.

Table 2 shows a detailed diagram of the stepping motor drive unit 507 that controls the main motor 188, which is composed of a stepping motor that drives the paper feed/discharge unit and the platen roller 2. The schematic diagram is the 26th doujin.

■) Shown below. This stepping motor drive section 507
, when a signal below the stamping motor clock C (referred to as signal SMTCLK) is input from the CPU 303, the A-phase, B-phase, and
The input phase and (2) phase signals are output and input to the stepping motor, and the stepping motor is excited and driven. At the falling edge of signal SMTCLK, each phase signal is
It is designed to undergo a phase change. Also, the signal SMTCLK
The stepping motor is configured to move l steps with one pulse.

The communication line is used for sending the current state of the engine section 502 to the image editing section 501, for the engine section 502 to receive a print start instruction from the image editing section 501, and so on. Therefore, the signal COMMA shown in FIG.
Serial communication is performed between the two using ND, 5TATUS, and PSRQ. The communication protocol is the image editing section 5.
01 sends a 1-byte command to the engine unit 502,
In response, the engine unit 502 sends back the status of lHide, and basically sends back the status of lHide to the image editing unit 501.
This is a one-way communication in which the engine unit 502 issues a command and the engine unit 502 returns the status. but,
Image editing unit 501 due to error occurrence etc. in engine unit 502.
When a signal PSRQ is asserted when the image editor 501 wants to communicate, the image editing section 501 sends a corresponding command to the engine section 502, and the engine section 502 returns the status. Table 3 shows a list illustrating the relationship between these commands and status.

Next, the printing timing of the head 159 will be explained. Basically, the signal PRNT signal LIN shown in FIG.
Use PLS. When the image editing unit 501 finishes editing the first color Y, it sends a command to start seven-color printing to the engine unit 502 via the communication line.

Engine section 502 sets image data to head 159 by asserting signal PRNT. Next, since the engine section 502 controls the stepping motor, the image editing section 501 cannot manage printing lines. Therefore, in order to synchronize the line and image printing, it is necessary to send a line synchronization signal from the engine section 502 to the image editing section 501.

This synchronization signal is the signal LINPLS.

Next, the program configuration of the control device will be explained. The programs of the control device can be roughly divided into the following four types.

■ First interrupt program ■ Second interrupt program ■ Main program ■ Communication interrupt program In explaining the above control program, a time chart of the entire control device is shown in FIG.
A flowchart of the interrupt program is shown in FIG.

In the present invention, the first interrupt and the communication interrupt are CPL
The second interrupt is generated from the first interrupt program. The first interrupt program outputs the stepping motor clock, and the second interrupt program performs event control. The main program is an error sequence, a print start sequence, etc., and the communication interrupt program is designed to communicate between the image editing section 501 and the engine section 502.

Next, each control program will be explained in detail.

(1) First interrupt program The CPU has a timer interrupt function, and the timer interrupt time can be freely changed by setting certain numerical values to variables THO and TLO on the program.

For example, MOV THO, #HIGH(-1000) MOV
If TLO, #LOW (~1000), 1m
Each time an interrupt occurs at s, the first interrupt program is activated.

(Hereinafter, it is assumed that the first interrupt occurs at 1 ms.) The first interrupt program will be explained below according to the flowchart of FIG. 30 and the timing chart of FIG. 29.

(2) When the flag RES I STF is set to 1, the signal SMTCLK is inverted and output. When the flag RES_I_STF is set to O, the signal SMTCLK remains in that state.

■ The variable 5PRCNT is initially set to 8,
It decreases by 1 each time an interrupt occurs.

When variable 5PRCNT becomes 0, flag CTRL
TMF is set to 1, and after this first interrupt ends, a second interrupt is entered by this flag.

Further, at this time, if the flag CLCKONF is set to 1, the flag RES I STF is set to 1. When the next first interrupt occurs again, the signal SMTCLK is inverted and output in step (2). That is, the pulse output of the signal SMTCLK is started, and the stepping motor starts rotating.

Next, if the flag CLCKONF is set to 0,
Here, the flag RES I STF is set to 0, and when the next first interrupt is entered again, the signal SMTCLK is output as is in step (2). That is, the signal SMTCLK is held at 0, and the rotation of the stepping motor is stopped.

■ When the variable 5PRCNT becomes O and the flag PRNTRUN is set to 1, the signal L
The INPLS pulse is output.

This signal LINPLS is output from the engine unit 502 to the image editing unit 5 (II), and the flag PRNTRLJN is set to 0 when the pulse of the signal LINPLS is the timing to start applying one line of the head. Then, the pulse of the signal LINPLS stops outputting.

In FIG. 29, the timings at which the first and second interrupts occur are represented by pulses. As shown in FIG. 29, the second interrupt occurs every eight times the first interrupt occurs. However, this is determined by the setting value of the variable 5PRCNT, but if the first interrupt is entered at lll5, the second interrupt is entered at 8IIs. Also the second
As shown in FIG. 9, the stepping motor clock signal SMTCLK is output four times in response to eight first interrupts.

That is, the motor is rotated four steps. here,
The rotation speed of the stepping motor becomes 500 pps from the first interrupt time (111 s). That is, the speed of the stepping motor is determined by the set value of this first interrupt time. From this,
By changing the set value of the first interrupt time, the stepping motor can be set to any speed.

Further, in the color video printer of this embodiment, when the stepping motor is rotated four steps, the platen roller 2 is configured to rotate by one line of the image. Therefore, line control can be easily performed by the second number of interrupts.

Furthermore, when the flag PRNTRUN is set to 1, the pulses of the signals LINPL and S are output at every second interrupt. That is, it is configured to be output every time the platen roller 2 rotates one line. This signal LINPLS is output to the image editing section 501, and is used in the image editing section 501 as the timing of the image application signal to the head 159. Therefore, the one-line rotation of the platen roller 2 and the image application signal can be synchronized.

(2) Second interrupt program A second interrupt is entered in synchronization with one line of the image. This second interrupt program performs event control and image line control.

First, to explain event control, the variable PRNTC
When NT is set to 1, the variable PRNTCNT is incremented by 1 each time this second interrupt is entered. This variable P
When RNTCNT becomes equal to a predetermined number of times, a certain event control is performed. The event control includes control to turn the ink sheet motor on and off, or control to start and stop rotation of the stepping motor. Furthermore, during printing, by counting the number of times that an interrupt has occurred, the current number of image applied lines can be sent to the image editing unit 501 via a communication line.

(3) Communication Interrupt Program This is a program that performs processing such as sending the current state of the engine unit 502 to the image editing unit 50J and receiving a print start command from the image editing unit 501. When the image editing unit 501 sends a command to the engine unit 502, this communication interrupt program is entered. That command 1
Depending on the value of the byte, the engine unit 502 returns a certain state status 1 hide to the image editing unit 501.

Next, the overall sequence of the control device will be explained. Let PRNTSTTS be a variable indicating the status of the sequence. The operation of the color video printer of this embodiment consists of nine operations: a print ready state in which no printing is performed and a series of print states. That variable PR
The correspondence table between NTSTTS and print sequence status is shown in the fourth page.
As shown in the table and as described above, the head position changes depending on the print operation state 65 described above. At the head position, H
There are positions P, A, B, C, B, and E as well as undetermined positions. The undetermined position U means that the head is moving between the respective head positions. The variable indicating the head position is HDPSTN, and Table 5 shows the correspondence between that variable and the head position.
If it is P, it will be in a print ready state. When the engine unit 502 receives a print start command from the image editing unit 501, the variable PRNCNT is set to 1 and the print sequence begins. The Printon-Kens time chart is shown in FIG. 31 (B). A printing operation is performed by sequence operations of the mechanism based on control signals from the control device.

In addition, in FIG. 31^, 2), HH3 indicates the output of the home position sensor 357, and the home position is detected when it is High. HMS represents the output of the position sensor 358, but the figure does not directly show the output, but rather UHP, A, B, C, D.
, E means that it has moved to each position. PFS indicates the output of the paper feed sensor 278, )light
Detects the presence of paper. SBS and PR3 indicate the outputs of the in-sheet sensor 10 and the registration sensor 9, respectively. EPS indicates the output of a paper discharge sensor (not shown), which detects the paper at the time of paper discharge. SMTPR
is a signal that is input to the stepping motor drive unit 507 (see Figure 26), and when the SMTFR is manually input to the drive unit 507 using the old GH, the motor rotates in the forward direction, and S
When MTFR is input low, the motor is controlled to rotate in reverse.

The speed of the stepping motor is determined by the set values of variables THO and TLO of the first interrupt program.

In this embodiment, when the paper feed/discharge 5 is reversed, 1 m
Enable an interrupt at s, and when printing, it will take 1.6ms.
I'm trying to get an interrupt. This can be easily done by switching with the flag INT500F as shown in the time chart. At this time, the speed of the stepping motor is 500 pps during paper feeding, discharging, and reverse, and 310 pps during printing. In this way, by changing the speed during printing and during paper feeding and discharging, the overall printing time is sped up. Also, if you want to change the speed to another one or increase the number of different speed modes, you can freely set the stepping motor speed by changing the setting value of the variable THOTLO or switching the flag IN7500F. be able to. Moreover, since the image print signal LINPLS is output in synchronization with the l line during printing, no color shift problem occurs.

Also, if you use paper for other purposes other than regular paper, the process conditions during printing will be different.
It is necessary to change the application time. At this time, depending on the type of paper, the application time of the hend can be changed by changing the speed of the stepping motor during printing as described above.

Therefore, the application time of the head can be easily changed without changing the hardware configuration.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above based on the embodiments, according to the present invention, since the clock generated in an adjustable manner by the first interrupt program is used as the clock pulse of the drive circuit that drives the stepping motor, this clock is changed. This allows the speed of the stepping motor to be easily changed, thereby indirectly changing the head application time to the platen roller driven by the stepping motor.

In addition, since the clock generated by the second interrupt based on the first interrupt program is used as the timing pulse of the process means, it is possible to synchronize the rotation of the platen roller driven by the stepping motor and image printing, and the Signal control etc. can be easily performed.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The first diagram is an external view of an embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. 2 is a top view showing the main body frame of the embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. Front view showing a partial cross section of the constituent members, No. 4
5 is a plan view showing the configuration of the head unit, FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the platen roller portion, to FIG. 6, ■) is a plan view and side view showing the tongue portion, and FIG. of)
811iIffl (Dl. IE) shows a plan view, a side view and a sectional view of the housing of the paper feed drive unit; FIGS. 9 is a plan view and a top view showing the guide portion of the paper feed drive unit; FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the paper ejection roller portion; FIG. 10 is a plan view and side view showing the rank unit; FIG. 11 (/u, (Bl is a side view showing the rank plate of the rack unit and an enlarged side view showing the cam part thereof, FIG. 12 is a plan view showing the rack unit part, and FIG. 13) 14 (At) is a plan view showing the torque limiter portion and a perspective view showing the ratchet lock portion thereof, [Bl is a plan view showing the platen gear portion and a perspective view showing the gear slider, and FIG. 15 is A front view showing how each member is attached to the outside of the rear frame, and a partial cross-section of Fig. 16~ (C1 is a diagram showing the ink sheet cartridge, Fig. 17 CAI, +B+ is the torque limiter ■) 1811N8-[C1 is a plan view and a side view showing the paper feeding unit; FIG. 19 is a plan view showing paper;
Figures 20 to (C) are diagrams showing the lock JiltpJ of the hook part of the paper feeding receptacle unit, and Figure 21 (At,
[Bl is a plan view and a side view showing the paper output tray, No. 22
To the figure ~ The old arrangement of each member in the home position and A-E position! Diagram showing IE, Figure 23 ^,■
) is a plan view and a top view showing the slide member portion, the second
Figure 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between the print +11 order and the hend position, Figure 25 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the control device, and Figure 2
Figure 6 shows the configuration of the stepping motor drive section and the schematic configuration of the stepping motor.
7th time is a timing chart showing the stenoping motor cloth; FIG. 28 is a timing chart showing print timing; FIG. 29 is a timing chart showing the operation of the entire control device; FIG. 30 is a timing chart showing the first interrupt. To the flowchart showing the program, +B+ in FIG. 31 is a timing chart showing the printing operation. In the figure, ■ is the main body of the device, 2 is the platen roller, 3,
4 is a pinch roller, 11 is a paper ejection roller, 50 is a paper ejection pinch section unit, 100 is an ink sheet cartridge, 1
03 is an ink sheet, 104 is a sensor, 150 is a rear end unit, 151 is a pinch roller, 152 is a head rotation center axis, 155 is a head lifting/lowering motor, 156 is an ink sheet winding motor, 159 is a head, 180 is a head drive shaft , 188 is a main motor, 200 is a paper feed force center unit, 250 is a paper feed drive unit, 251 is a paper feed roller, 278 is a paper feed sensor, 300 is a paper output tray,
301 is the tongue, 350 is the rack unit, 400 is the paper, 501 is the image editing section, and 502 is the engine section 6 Patent applicant Olympus Optical Industry Co., Ltd. Figure 1 (A) (B) Figure 7 (A) (B) (C) (D) Fig. 8 (D) (E) Fig. 9 281: Camshaft 282: Eye dryer 283: Link 352: 2nd rack Fig. 14: Flat gear: 1st rack 354 Nirakku plate; Detection Plate Fig. 13 (A) 27 Two reflective sensors 37: Ratchet lock 34: Torque limiter (B) 186: Ink sheet take-up motor 35: Torque limiter (A) Fig. 16 103: Ink sheet section Fig. 9 Fig. 20 01C Fig. 21 (B) Fig. 23 16: Link 19: Lever' 17: Slide member 180: Head drive shaft Fig. 24 Fig. 26 Fig. 28 For LINPLS-m- [Aiming iodine] - Fig. 27 Figure 30

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of process means for forming an image on a recording medium, a driving means for conveying the recording medium to the process means, a stepping motor for driving the driving means, and a drive circuit for driving the stepping motor; In an image forming apparatus having each of the above-mentioned means and a control means for controlling a circuit, a clock generated in an adjustable manner by a first interrupt program activated by a first interrupt to a processing procedure of the control means is controlled by the drive circuit. An image forming apparatus characterized in that a clock pulse and a clock generated by a second interrupt based on the first interrupt program are used as timing pulses for the plurality of process means.