JPH06143633A - Image recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a cassette paper feed type thermal transfer image recorder having an improved recording paper feed mechanism being contributable to the reduction of the number of components and simplification of mechanism of recording section as a whole. CONSTITUTION:A cut recording paper P and an ink ribbon R are introduced, while being superposed, onto a separate platen roller 20 for picking up the cut recording paper P stacked in a cassette 2 and feeding the cut recording paper P thus picked up. Ink is then thermally transferred to the cut recording paper P by means of a thermal head 10 thus sharing one separate/platen roller 20 between a paper feed roller and a platen roller.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cassette transfer type thermal transfer image recording apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As an example of this type of recording apparatus, a conventional example of a cut sheet (plain paper) recording type facsimile apparatus is shown in FIG. In this facsimile apparatus, a paper feed cassette 2 that can be inserted into and removed from the front of the main body is provided at the bottom of the apparatus main body 1, and cut recording paper P is accumulated and stored in this cassette 2. The cut recording paper P accumulated in the cassette 2 has the front end portion of the spring 3 when the cassette is inserted.
Is pushed upwards through the cassette bottom plate 4,
Along with the separation pad 5 attached to the front end portion of the cassette or inside the main body, a paper feed roller (separate roller or pickup roller) 6 provided inside the main body 1 is pressed.

When the paper feed roller 6 is rotated at the time of reception or the like, the cut recording paper P picked up by the paper feed roller 6 is separated by the separation pad 5 and fed out one by one, and along the recording paper guide 7. And is fed to the recording unit 8 arranged on the upper part of the main body. The cut recording paper P picked up by the paper feed roller 6 and fed upward is placed on the platen roller 9 provided in the recording unit 8 and the ink ribbon R fed out synchronously from the ribbon package Ra.
The ink of the ink ribbon R is thermally transferred by the thermal head 10 which is superposed on the platen roller 9 and is brought into pressure contact with the roller 9 on the platen roller 9 to record a received image or the like. Then, the cut recording paper P thermally transferred and recorded on the platen roller 9 is separated from the ink ribbon R wound on the winding package Rb, and then the partition plate 1 is placed on the cassette insertion portion.
The recording paper is ejected to the recording paper ejecting section 12 in the main body 1 defined by 1 and can be taken out at any time from the recording paper ejection opening 13 opened on the side surface of the main body.

In addition, in FIG. 2, 14 is a scanner unit for reading a transmission document D indicated by a dashed arrow, 15 is a circuit board provided in the main body 1, and 16 is a power source unit.
Reference numerals 17 and 18 denote pinch rollers that guide the ink ribbon R between the ribbon package Ra and the winding package Rb.

[0005]

By the way, as a technical problem of a thermal transfer type image recording apparatus such as a facsimile, it is pointed out that the operating mechanism is generally complicated and the cost is high.
That is, in the case of focusing on the above-mentioned conventional thermal transfer image recording apparatus, three moving parts such as a paper feed roller 6, a platen roller 9 and a ribbon carrying system are provided as moving parts necessary for recording processing at the time of reception. Since it is necessary to individually provide a driving mechanism to them, there is a problem that the recording unit as a whole has to be a complicated mechanism having a large number of parts.

In view of the above technical problems, the present invention is a cassette sheet feeding type thermal transfer type image recording having an improved recording paper feeding mechanism which is effective in reducing the number of parts and simplifying the mechanism of the entire recording unit. A device is provided.

[0007]

In the image recording apparatus according to the present invention, as a recording paper feeding mechanism for achieving the above object, a thermal head is provided on a paper feeding roller for feeding cut recording paper accumulated in a cassette. Thus, the recording paper is printed.

[0008]

By doing so, the paper feed roller and the platen roller in the conventional mechanism can be shared by one roller.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a thermal transfer type facsimile apparatus improved according to the present invention as compared with the conventional example shown in FIG.

Here, the paper feed roller 6 and the platen roller 9 which are separately arranged at the upper and lower separating positions in the conventional apparatus.
Are replaced by a single large platen roller 20 having a large diameter. That is, the cut recording paper P accumulated in the cassette 2 and the separation pad 5 are brought into pressure contact with the lower side of the separate platen roller 20 which faces the cassette insertion portion, and the cut platen roller 20 which faces the recording portion 8 of the separate platen roller 20. On the upper side, from the ribbon package Ra to the winding package R
The thermal head 10 is brought into pressure contact with the ink ribbon R conveyed to b in a conductive state.

However, when this recording paper feeding mechanism is adopted, the separate platen roller 20 is used at the time of reception.
When the sheet is rotated, the cut recording paper P directly picked up from the separate platen roller 20 is separated by the separation pad 5 one by one, and then fed out so as to be wound around the roller 20 and fed to the recording unit 8 side. Will be sent. Then, the cut recording paper P picked up by the separate platen roller 20 and fed is superposed on the ink ribbon R on the roller 20 and then conducted to the pressure contact portion of the thermal head 10 to make contact with the thermal head 10.
After the ink of the ink ribbon R is transferred by heat to print a received image or the like, the main body 1 is separated from the ink ribbon R.
The recording paper is discharged to the recording paper discharge unit 12 inside.

The configuration of the other parts of the apparatus is shown in FIG.
This is basically the same as that shown in the prior art example, and common or corresponding members and the like are given common symbols.

Thus, the thermal head 10 is placed on the separate platen roller 20 for feeding the cut recording paper P.
By printing on the cut recording paper P by means of the above, the roles of the paper feed roller 6 and the platen roller 9, which have conventionally been required to be provided separately, can be shared by the single separate platen roller 20, and they can be separately provided. The number of rollers can be reduced by one compared to the conventional apparatus installed in the paper feeding roller 6
The roller driving mechanism, which is separately required for the platen roller 9 and the platen roller 9, can be unified. Therefore, the number of parts can be greatly reduced and the cost can be reduced. Further, with the simplification of the operating mechanism, the configurations of the paper feeding unit and the recording unit can be integrated into a more compact and small space, which in turn contributes to downsizing of the entire apparatus.

The present invention can be generally applied to a cut sheet feeding type thermal transfer type image recording apparatus in addition to the facsimile apparatus described in the embodiments.

[0015]

As described above, in the image recording apparatus of the present invention, the paper feed roller and the platen roller are separated by a single separate roller.
Since the platen roller is used in common, it is possible to reduce the number of parts and simplify the operation mechanism, and it is possible to improve the drawbacks of the mechanism and the cost, which are problems in the thermal transfer image recording apparatus.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a thermal transfer type facsimile apparatus showing an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of a thermal transfer type facsimile apparatus showing a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Device Main Body 2 Paper Feed Cassette 3 Spring 4 Cassette Bottom Plate 5 Separation Pad 6 Paper Feed Roller (Separate Roller or Pickup Roller) 7 Recording Paper Guide 8 Recording Unit 9 Platen Roller 10 Thermal Head 11 Partition Plate 12 Recording Paper Ejection Unit 13 Recording Paper Take-out port 14 Scanner section 15 Circuit board 16 Power supply section 17, 18 Pinch roller 20 Separate platen roller Ra Ribbon package Rb Winding package R Ink ribbon P Cut recording paper

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An image recording apparatus in which a thermal recording head prints on the recording paper on a feed roller for feeding cut recording paper accumulated in a cassette.