JPH04173371A - Thermal transfer recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to, for example, a thermal transfer type recording device, and more specifically, the present invention relates to a thermal transfer type recording device, and more specifically, a method for printing thermal sublimation type or thermal melting type ink carried on an ink sheet according to image information. The present invention relates to a thermal transfer recording device such as a thermal printer that selectively heats and transfers predetermined image information onto an image receiving sheet.

(Prior Art) As a conventional thermal transfer recording device of this type, for example, the seventh
What is shown in the figure is generally known. That is, the thermal transfer type recording device includes an ink sheet 1 carrying heat sublimation type or heat melting type ink, and an ink sheet supply roll 3 on which the ink sheet 1 is wound in a roll shape and is detachable from the main body of the device. , an ink sheet winding roll 5 that winds up the ink sheet 1 fed out from the ink sheet 1, an ink sheet winding roll 5 disposed between the ink sheet supply roll 3 and the ink sheet winding roll 5, and an ink sheet winding roll 5 that winds up the ink sheet 1 fed out from the ink sheet 1; A platen roller 7 wound around a predetermined angle θ, an image receiving sheet 9 inserted and conveyed between the platen roller 7 and the ink sheet 1 and pressed against the platen roller 7 by the tension of the ink sheet 1, and an image receiving sheet. 9 and the ink sheet 1 are sandwiched between the platen roller 7 and generate a heat pattern according to the image information to selectively transfer the ink of the ink sheet 1 to the image receiving sheet 9, and are moved up and down by a lifting mechanism (not shown). The printer is equipped with a thermal head 11 that can be used as a printer, and a pressure mechanism such as a spring 13 that presses the thermal head 11 against the platen roller rough through the ink sheet 1 and the image receiving sheet 9.

First guide rollers 15 are provided on both sides of the platen roller 7 along the ink sheet conveyance direction. A second guide roller 17 is provided, and the platen roller 7 and the first and second guide rollers I5.17 are positioned to determine the winding angle θ of the ink sheet 1 wound around the platen roller 7. There is.

A stepping motor 19 is attached to the ink sheet supply roll 3.
Drive sources such as the above are connected via the first transmission mechanism 21, and the ink sheet supply roll 3 is rotated by driving the stepping motor 19 to feed the ink sheet 1 at a predetermined speed.

Further, the ink sheet take-up roll 5 is connected to a tension applying mechanism 23 composed of an electromagnetic powder clutch, a friction clutch, etc., and a stepping motor 19 which is a common drive source with the drive source of the ink sheet supply roll 3.
via a second transmission mechanism 25, and by driving the stepping motor 19, the ink sheet l
It is configured so that it can be wound. The ink sheet take-up roll 5 is set to rotate at a circumferential speed faster than the transport speed of the ink sheet 1 under no load, and when a predetermined tension is applied to the ink sheet l, the tension applying mechanism 23 slips. Thus, the ink sheet 1 is wound up while applying a predetermined tension.

Further, the platen roller 7 has a stepping machine 1.
9 and a drive mechanism 27 including a speed reducer and the like are connected to each other, and are configured to transport only the image receiving sheet 9 to a predetermined recording start position by rotating the platen roller 7 at a predetermined speed.

This is because the surface layers of the ink sheet 1 and the image-receiving sheet 9 have lubricity and thermal releasability, allowing them to slide relative to each other, and the maximum coefficient of static friction is the dynamic friction between the image-receiving sheet 9 and the platen roller 7. This is because it is set smaller than the coefficient. Therefore, the image receiving sheet 9 is pressed against the platen roller 7 by the pressing force due to the tension of the ink sheet 1 wound around the platen roller 7 at a predetermined angle, and by the pressing force of the thermal head 11 and the pressing mechanism 13. When the platen roller 7 rotates at a predetermined circumferential speed due to the frictional force generated between the platen roller 7 and the image-receiving sheet 9, the image-receiving sheet 9 is conveyed at that circumferential speed.

For example, as shown in FIG. 8, there is a space around the platen roller 7 to keep the platen roller 7 and the ink sheet 1 out of contact when the thermal head 11 is moving upward (recording standby state). A flat cylindrical cover member 29 that is forcibly inserted between the two is rotatably provided.

In addition, the first and second steps connected to the stepping dryer 19
The transmission mechanism 21.25 rotates the ink sheet supply roll 3 at a circumferential speed smaller than the circumferential speed of the platen roller 7 during image recording.
The speed ratio of the ink sheet 1 is set in advance to be 1:n (n≧1), and the ink sheet 1 is used in a high density to save consumption and reduce the frequency of replacement, thereby reducing running costs ( For example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 165169/1983).

In the above configuration, during recording standby, the thermal head 11 is raised by the elevating mechanism and the cover member 29 is inserted between the platen roller 7 and the ink sheet 1, and the thermal head II is not excited and the ink sheet 1 is in a relaxed state.

At the start of recording, the cover member 29 is rotated to bring the platen roller 7 and the ink sheet 1 into contact, and the stepping motor 19 is driven in the transport direction of the ink sheet 1 at a faster speed than usual to supply the ink sheet. By rotating the roll 3 and the ink sheet take-up roll 5 at high speed, slack in the ink sheet 1 is quickly removed and a predetermined tension is applied to the ink sheet 1. Then, the image receiving sheet 9 is inserted between the platen roller 7 and the ink sheet 1, and after the image receiving sheet 9 is conveyed to a predetermined recording start position by rotating the platen roller 7,
The thermal head 11 is pressed against the platen roller 7 and recording is started.

By the way, when the ink sheet 1 is used up, when the size of the image receiving sheet 9 is changed and the ink sheet is removed, or when you want to use the ink sheet 1 for OHP, the stepping motor 19 is turned on. After rewinding the ink sheet hl onto the ink sheet supply roll 3 by reversing the rotation, the ink sheet supply roll 3 is removed from the apparatus main body, and then a new ink sheet supply roll 3 is attached to the apparatus main body.

However, in conventional thermal transfer recording devices, i, l
i. Because the ink sheet j needs to be wound around the platen roller 7 at a predetermined angle, the transport path of the ink sheet I is complicated, so when the ink sheet 1 is replaced, a new ink sheet supply roll 3 In some cases, the leading end cannot be reliably wound onto the ink sheet take-up roll 5.

Also, when normally transporting one ink sheet, the ink sheet 1
The rotational speed of the ink sheet take-up roll 5 is set to be faster than the ink sheet supply roll 3 in order to prevent the ink sheet l from becoming loose. both rolls 3
．． There is a risk that it may accumulate between 5 and get caught up in other mechanisms.

When replacing an unused ink sheet l.

- Since it is necessary to rewind the ink sheet l onto the ink sheet supply roll 3, it is difficult to distinguish between used areas and unused areas when reinstalling the ink sheet supply roll 3 from which the ink sheet has been rewound. There is also the problem that it is difficult.

Furthermore, when replacing the ink sheet 1, if the type of ink sheet 1 corresponding to the type of image receiving sheet 9 is not correct, the ink sheet 1 must be rewound and replaced again. There is also the problem that management is required to make the data correspond to

(Purpose of the Invention) The present invention has been made focusing on the problem mentioned above, and it is possible to replace an ink sheet easily, safely, and in a short time, and also to replace the used area of the unused ink sheet. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a thermal transfer type recording bag τ that can be reused by distinguishing between unused areas and that allows easy management of image-receiving sheets and ink sheets.

(Structure of the Invention) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an ink sheet carrying heat sublimation type or heat melting type ink, and an ink sheet that is wound around the ink sheet and is detachable from the main body of the apparatus. A supply roll, an ink sheet take-up roll that winds up the ink sheet sent out from the ink sheet supply roll, and an ink sheet take-up roll that is disposed between the ink sheet supply roll and the ink sheet take-up roll and that the ink sheet is a platen roller that is wound around a predetermined angle in a direction; an image-receiving sheet that is inserted and conveyed between the platen roller and the ink sheet and is pressed against the platen roller by the tension of the ink sheet; A thermal transfer recording device comprising: a thermal head that sandwiches an ink sheet between a platen roller and selectively transfers ink from the ink sheet to an image receiving sheet by generating a thermal pattern according to image information; Guide rails are disposed opposite to each other along the conveyance line of the ink sheet and guide the conveyance of the ink sheet, and a flexible tip plate is provided at the tip of the ink sheet. A concave engagement hole is formed on one of the sheet winding rolls, and a convex portion that engages with the engagement hole is formed on the other, thereby stably winding the ink sheet. shall be.

The ITij 3e also includes a drive mechanism for rotating the ink sheet supply roll and the ink sheet take-up roll forward and backward at predetermined speeds, and a control means for controlling the drive of this drive mechanism. The ink sheet winding roll is rotated at a slightly faster speed than the ink sheet supply roll to apply a predetermined tension to the ink sheet, and the ink sheet is rewound onto the ink sheet supply roll to remove the ink sheet. The present invention is characterized in that the ink sheet supply roll is rotated at a slightly faster speed than the ink sheet take-up roll when replacing the ink sheet take-up roll.

In this case, the control means is characterized in that it drives the drive mechanism at a faster speed than normal when replacing the ink sheet.

Furthermore, the ink: NO-H is an ink in which a number of colors are arranged in a plane-sequential manner along the conveyance direction, and an identification mark is provided on the front part of each screen required for recording one screen; A fixed mark sensor for detecting an identification mark in a used area of an ink sheet when the sheet is rewound onto an ink sheet supply roll, a counter for counting the number of identification marks detected by this mark sensor, and this counter. a display mechanism for displaying the number of identification marks at a predetermined position on the tip plate before the ink sheet supply roll is removed; When the display read by the reading means matches the number of identification marks detected by the mark sensor and counted by the counter when the ink sheet is conveyed to the ink sheet winding roll, the ink is The present invention is characterized by comprising a stop mechanism that stops driving the sheet take-up roll.

Furthermore, the apparatus is characterized in that it has a cassette capable of storing the ink sheet supply roll and image receiving sheet, and the cassette is configured to be detachable from the main body of the apparatus.

In this case, the cassette has a removable display medium in place of the tip plate of the ink sheet described in iii. The display mechanism described in 1. It is characterized by reading a display displayed on a display medium.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on preferred embodiments shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a thermal transfer recording apparatus according to the present invention.The characteristic feature of this embodiment is that first, there are a plurality of guide rails 31, 31, . (preferably, 100-2
A plurality of engagement holes 35, 35, . . . are formed along the longitudinal direction at both edges of the tip plate 33. At both edges of the ink sheet take-up roll 5, there is an ink sheet l.
These engaging holes 35, 35,
A plurality of convex portions 37.37. ... is formed (Figures 2 and 3 (al,
(See bl).

Further, the ink sheet supply roll 3 includes a normal first transmission mechanism 21 that transmits the rotational driving force of a stepping motor 19 (drive mechanism), and a rotational drive force of the stepping motor 19 when the ink sheet supply roll 3 is reversed. It is connected to a third transmission mechanism 41 that transmits force at a higher speed than usual, and the first transmission mechanism 21 and the third transmission mechanism 41 are connected to a control means (not shown), and the control means is operated at normal or normal times. It is configured to alternatively select the first or third transmission mechanism 21.41 during reverse rotation.

Here, when the rotational driving force of the stepping motor 19 is transmitted to the ink sheet supply roll 3 via the first transmission mechanism 21, the ink sheet supply roll 3 is transmitted to the ink sheet take-up roll 5 as in the conventional example. The ink sheet 1 is rotated at a slightly higher speed to apply a predetermined tension to the ink sheet 1. On the other hand, stepping motor 1
9 is transmitted to the ink sheet supply roll 3 via the third transmission mechanism 41, the ink sheet supply roll 3 is rotated at a slightly higher speed than the reverse rotation speed of the ink sheet take-up roll 5. The structure is such that there is no slack between the two rolls.

The ink sheet 1 has a plurality of colors (yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C)) arranged sequentially in 18 planes in the conveying direction, and an identification mark 45Y is placed on the front of each color.
, 45M, and 45C, and a yellow (Y) identification mark 45Y extending over the entire width of the ink sheet 1 is located at the front of each screen required to record one screen (as in the conventional case). (See Figure 2).

Furthermore, the platen roller 7 and the ink sheet take-up roll 5
For example, as shown in FIG. Fixed mark sensor 47 for detecting the yellow mark 45Y in
, a counter 49 that counts the number of yellow marks 45Y detected by the mark sensor 47;
In order to display the number of yellow marks 45Y on the ink sheet l, the tip plate 3 is attached before the ink sheet supply roll 3 is removed.
3 (see Figure 2)
display mechanism) and the tip plate 3 when reinstalling the ink sheet supply roll 3 on which the ink sheet 1 has been rewound to the apparatus main body.
A display hole sensor 55 (reading means) for reading the display No. 3 is provided. In addition, a second transmission mechanism 25 (stopping mechanism) that transmits the driving force of the step-sign dryer 19 to the ink sheet winding roll 5 uses the display read by the 1-display hole sensor 55 and the ink sheet 1 to wind the ink sheet. The drive of the ink sheet take-up roll 5 is stopped when the number of yellow marks 45Y detected by the mark sensor 47 and counted by the counter 49 when being conveyed to the take-up roll 5 matches the number of yellow marks 45Y.

Of course, the number of yellow marks 45Y, the device for drilling the display hole 52, and the reading position of the display hole sensor 55 correspond to - and -i7, respectively. In addition, in the display type drilling area 51,
It is preferable that a scale or the like be provided so that the usage amount of the ink sheet 1 can be determined visually from the display hole 52 formed therein.

Next, the action will be explained.

In the above configuration, when the ink sheet 1 is used up or when changing the size of the image receiving sheet 9, the ink sheet]
Ink sheet 1 for removing waste or for OHP
If you want to use the ink sheet supply roll 3, after pushing the ink sheet 1 back onto the ink sheet supply roll 3 by reversing the steering/living motor 9,
The ink sheet supply roll 3 is removed from the apparatus main body, and then a new ink sheet supply roll 3 is attached to the apparatus main body, as in the conventional case.

In this embodiment, when the ink sheet 1 is rewound onto the ink sheet supply roll 3, the rotational driving force of the stepper sig motor 19 is transmitted to the ink sheet supply roll 3 via the third transmission mechanism 41, so that the ink sheet is wound back. Not only does the ink sheet 1 not slacken between the take-up roll 5 and the ink sheet supply roll 3, but the ink sheet 1 can be wound up at a higher speed than before. Moreover, when rewinding the unused ink sheet 1 to the ink sheet supply roll 3, the mark sensor 47 detects the number of yellow marks 45Y in the used area, the counter 49 counts the number, and then the perforator 53 An indicator hole 52 is bored at a predetermined position in the indicator type drilling area 51 of the tip plate 33.

After the ink sheet l is rewound onto the ink sheet supply roll 3 and the ink sheet supply port 3 is removed from the apparatus main body, when a new ink sheet supply roll 3 is installed in the apparatus main body, the ink sheet l is The ink sheet is guided by a plurality of guide rails 31.3+, . The ink sheet 1 is reliably wound by being engaged with the convex portions 37, 37, . . . of the ink sheet winding roll 5. Here, when the unused ink sheet l is reinstalled, the display hole sensor 55 reads the position of the display hole 52 of the tip plate 33 being conveyed, and the used area of the ink silt 1 is determined according to the display. At the same time, when the used area ends, the second transmitter Wt25 stops the rotation of the ink sheet take-up roll 5, so that the unused area can be automatically displayed at high speed.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show other embodiments.

In this embodiment, the ink sheet supply roll 3 and nine bundles of image-receiving sheets are housed in a common rectangular cassette 65 that can be attached to and detached from a space 63 of the main body 61 of the apparatus. It goes without saying that the ink sheet supply rolls 3 corresponding to the desired types of image receiving sheets 9 are housed in a common cassette 65. The cassette 65 is configured to cover an ink sheet supply roll chamber 69 and an image receiving sheet chamber 71 defined by a partition plate 67, and the upper part of each chamber 69, 71, and to be able to take out the ink sheet 1 or the image receiving sheet 9. A slit 81 is formed in the upper part of the negative side plate 77 to removably hold a display card 79 (display medium). At a position facing the display card 79 of the apparatus main body 61, there is provided the display type puncture device 53 for displaying the usage amount of the ink sheet 1 on the display card 79 when the cassette 65 is removed from the apparatus main body 61; Display hole 5 drilled by puncher 53
A display hole sensor 55 for reading 2 is disposed (6th
(see figure). Note that an opening 83 is formed in the lid 75 for the image receiving sheet chamber 71 to facilitate attachment and detachment of the display card 79.

In the above configuration, if the ink sheet supply roll 3 corresponding to a plurality of image receiving sheets 9 is stored in the common cassette 65 in advance, even when the ink sheet I is replaced, the ink sheet supply roll 3 corresponding to a plurality of image receiving sheets 9 can be This makes it easier to manage the type of ink sheet l without making a mistake. Moreover, display cart 7
As in the previous embodiment, even if the ink sheet l is removed during use by step 9, an unused area automatically appears when the ink sheet supply roll 3 is reattached to the main body 6I of the apparatus.

Note that when the ink sheet 1 is used up and a new ink sheet supply roll 3 is loaded into the cassette 65, the usage amount of the new ink sheet 1 can be displayed simply by replacing the display card 79.

Furthermore, by changing the color and shape of the display card 79 according to the type of image-receiving sheet 9, the types of image-receiving sheet 9 and ink sheet l can be more easily managed. In this case, the new display cart 79 may be provided with holes 85 for displaying the types of ink sheet 1 and image receiving sheet 9, as shown in FIG.

(Effects of the Invention) As explained below, according to the thermal transfer recording device of the present invention, ink sheets can be replaced easily, safely, and in a short time, and unused ink sheets can be replaced easily and safely. It is possible to distinguish between areas and unused areas and reuse them, and furthermore, it is possible to obtain the remarkable effect that image receiving sheets and ink sorting can be easily managed.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a thermal transfer recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the leading end of an ink sheet, and FIG. 3 [a] shows one end of an ink sheet take-up roll. FIG. 3(b) is a sectional view taken along the line m-■ in FIG. 3(a), FIG. 4 is a layout diagram of the main parts between the platen roller and the ink sheet take-up roll, and FIG. 5 is a plan view of other parts. 6th exploded perspective view of the embodiment of
5 is a sectional view of a main part of FIG. 5, FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of a conventional thermal transfer recording apparatus, and FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of FIG. 7 in a recording standby state. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Ink sheet, 3... Ink sheet supply roll, 5... Ink sheet take-up roll, 7... Platen roller, 9... Image receiving sheet, 11... Thermal head, 19...・Ste Sobbing dryer (drive mechanism),
25... second transmission mechanism (stop mechanism), 33...
Tip plate, 35...Engagement hole, 37...Protrusion, 45Y.
... Yellow mark (identification mark), 47 ... Mark sensor, 49 ... Counter, 53 ... Perforator (display mechanism), 55 ... Display hole sensor (reading means), 61 ...
...Device body, 65...Cassette, 79...Display card (display medium) Patent applicant Ricoh Co., Ltd. Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 (o) (b) Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 7 Figure 8

Claims (6)

[Claims] (1) An ink sheet carrying thermal sublimation type or thermal melting type ink, an ink sheet supply roll on which this ink sheet is wound and can be attached to and detached from the main body of the apparatus, and an ink sheet fed out from the ink sheet supply roll. an ink sheet take-up roll that winds up the ink sheet; and a platen roller that is disposed between the ink sheet supply roll and the ink sheet take-up roll and around which the ink sheet is wound over a predetermined angle in the circumferential direction. , an image receiving sheet that is inserted and conveyed between the platen roller and the ink sheet and is pressed against the platen roller by the tension of the ink sheet, and the image receiving sheet and the ink sheet are sandwiched between the platen roller and image information is transferred. A thermal transfer recording device comprising a thermal head that selectively transfers ink from an ink sheet to an image receiving sheet by generating a corresponding thermal pattern,
Guide rails are disposed opposite to each other along the conveyance line of the ink sheet and guide the conveyance of the ink sheet, and a flexible tip plate is provided at the tip of the ink sheet. A concave engagement hole is formed on one of the ink sheet take-up rolls, and a convex portion that engages with this engagement hole is formed on the other side to ensure stable winding of the ink sheet. Features of thermal transfer recording device. (2) The thermal transfer recording device according to claim (1),
It includes a drive mechanism for rotating the ink sheet supply roll and the ink sheet take-up roll in forward and reverse directions at predetermined speeds, and a control means for controlling the drive of this drive mechanism. A predetermined tension is applied to the ink sheet by rotating an ink sheet take-up roll at a slightly faster speed than the supply roll, and the ink sheet is rewound onto the ink sheet supply roll to replace the ink sheet. A thermal transfer recording apparatus characterized in that the ink sheet supply roll is configured to rotate at a slightly faster speed than the ink sheet take-up roll. (3) The thermal transfer recording device according to claim (2),
A thermal transfer recording apparatus, wherein the control means drives the drive mechanism at a faster speed than normal when replacing the ink sheet. (4) The thermal transfer recording device according to claim (1),
The ink sheet is arranged in a plurality of colors sequentially along the conveying direction, and an identification mark is placed on the front of each screen required for recording one screen, and the ink sheet is supplied with an ink sheet. A fixed mark sensor for detecting the identification marks in the used area of the ink sheet when unwinding the ink sheet, a counter for counting the number of identification marks detected by this mark sensor, and a counter for counting the number of identification marks detected by this mark sensor. a display mechanism that displays a display at a predetermined position on the tip plate before the ink sheet supply roll is removed; and a reader that reads the display on the tip plate when the ink sheet supply roll from which the ink sheet has been rewound is reattached to the apparatus main body. When the display read by the reading means and the number of identification marks detected by the mark sensor and counted by the counter when conveying the ink sheet to the ink sheet take-up roll match, the ink sheet take-up roll is A thermal transfer recording device characterized by comprising a stop mechanism that stops driving. (5) The thermal transfer recording device according to any one of claims (1) to (4), comprising a cassette that can house the ink sheet supply roll and the image receiving sheet, and the cassette is detachable from the main body of the device. A thermal transfer recording device characterized by being freely configured. (6) The thermal transfer recording device according to claim (4) or (5), wherein the cassette has a removable display medium in place of the tip plate of the ink sheet, and the display mechanism is configured to use the display medium. 1. A thermal transfer recording device, wherein a count number of a counter is displayed on the display medium, and the reading means reads a display displayed on the display medium.