JPH0742696U - Thermal transfer recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Object] To provide a thermal transfer recording apparatus in which print quality is not deteriorated even on a hard medium. [Structure] The bracket for holding the thermal head is bent at its lower end, and the bent portion is positioned near the heat generating portion of the thermal head to hold the thermal head from the downstream side in the ink ribbon transport direction. To do.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a thermal transfer recording device using a thermal head.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 As shown in FIG. 3, the thermal transfer recording apparatus 1 of this type includes a table 2 which is a drawing surface, a guide bar 4 which is movable in an arrow X direction in the figure by a pair of guide rails 3, and a guide bar 4 on which the guide bar 4 is placed. There is one that is roughly configured from a transfer head unit 5 that is movable in the Y direction. As shown in detail in FIG. 4, a ribbon supply roll 10 and a ribbon take-up roll 11 are rotatably supported by the transfer head unit 5 to convey the ink ribbon 12 in the A direction. An edge type thermal head 14 is urged by a spring 15 so as to be pressed in the B direction, that is, the direction of the table 2 at approximately the center of both rolls 10 and 11, and the tip of the thermal head 14 is at a predetermined position. The recording paper 6, which is a medium, is pressed through the ink ribbon 12 with the pressing force of. Reference numeral 16 denotes a peeling roller, which not only keeps the rising angle of the ink ribbon 12 on the downstream side of the thermal head 14 in the transport direction, but also has a function of guiding the ink ribbon 12 to the take-up roll 11.

In such a configuration, at the same time when the transfer head unit 5 moves in the Y direction, the thermal head 14 generates heat by the image signal from the control unit of the apparatus 1, the ink of the ink ribbon 12 melts, and the recording paper Ink is transferred to 6 and desired recording is performed. The ink ribbon 12 is conveyed in the A direction in synchronization with the movement of the transfer head unit 5 in the Y direction, and recording is performed on the recording paper 6 on the line in the Y direction. When the recording on the line is completed, the guide bar 4 is slightly moved in the X direction, the transfer head unit 5 moves in the Y direction again, and another line in the Y direction is recorded on the recording paper 6, and the guide bar 4 is sequentially recorded. 4 is moved in the X direction and desired drawing is performed on the recording paper 6.

[0004]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional thermal transfer device, the thermal head 14 presses the thermal head 14 so that the medium is deformed and transferred so as to follow the thermal head. Since the structure of transferring the ink of the ink ribbon to the recording paper, the medium itself is crushed in the case of a medium of a relatively soft material such as thermal transfer paper, which makes it possible to perform recording by copying the thermal head 13. With a medium of a relatively hard material such as plastic, the thermal head 14 does not follow the head 14 only by the pressing force, which may cause fading in the recording. If the pressing force is too strong, the ink ribbon may break. There were problems such as wrinkles and wrinkles. The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a thermal transfer recording apparatus in which print quality does not deteriorate even on a hard medium.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, in the thermal transfer recording apparatus of the present invention, the bracket for holding the thermal head is bent at its lower end, and the bent portion is positioned near the heat generating portion of the thermal head. Thus, the thermal head is held from the downstream side in the ink ribbon transport direction.

[0006]

[Action]

 The ink sheet of the ink ribbon in which the ink is melted by the heat generating portion of the thermal head is separated from the medium by the bending portion of the bracket provided on the downstream side of the thermal head in the ink ribbon transport direction.

[0007]

【Example】

 The thermal transfer recording apparatus of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view of a transfer head part of a thermal transfer recording apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a main part of a transfer head part. In the figure, reference numeral 5 is a transfer head portion, which is composed of a ribbon supply roll 10, a winding roll 11, an ink ribbon 12, a thermal head 14, a head pressing panel 15 and a bracket 20. In the thermal transfer recording apparatus of the present invention, as in the conventional one, the heat generating portion of the thermal head 14 is pressed against the medium 6 by the head pressing spring 15 via the ink ribbon 12, and the thermal transfer is performed by an image signal from the control device of the apparatus. The head 14 generates heat, the ink of the ink ribbon 12 is melted, the ink is transferred to the medium 6, and desired recording is performed.

The bracket 20 supporting the thermal head 14 is a member formed of a metal plate or the like having the same length as the longitudinal direction of the thermal head 14, and its lower end portion 21 is bent. . In this bracket 20, the bent portion 21 is located downstream of the heat generating portion of the thermal head 14 in the ink ribbon transport direction, and the lower end portion of the bent portion 21 has the same height as the heat generating portion of the thermal head 14. The thermal head 14 is supported and fixed in this manner. The thermal head 14 is fixed by a screw 16 through a screw hole 22 provided in the bracket 20 as shown in FIG. The screw hole 22 is formed as a long hole so that the mounting position of the thermal head 14 can be adjusted in the vertical direction (direction B in FIG. 2A). Further, the bracket 20 is biased in the direction B in the figure by the head pressing spring 15, and presses the thermal head 14 and the bent portion 2 of the bracket 20 against the medium 6 via the ink ribbon 12.

Next, the transfer operation of the thermal transfer recording apparatus thus configured will be described. The transfer head unit 5 moves on a medium placed and fixed on the table 2 based on an image signal from the control device of the device. At the same time, as shown in FIG. 2, the heat generated in the heat generating portion C of the thermal head 14 melts the ink 13 applied to the ink ribbon 12 to form a melting portion 13a. When the ribbon 12 reaches the point D by being conveyed in the A direction, the bending portion 21 of the bracket 20 presses it toward the medium 6 and separates it from the ink ribbon 12 and transfers it onto the medium 6. The ink ribbon 12 is conveyed along the circumferential surface of the bending portion 21 and is wound around the winding roller 11. In this way, the lower end of the bracket 20 acts as a peeling member that presses the ink ribbon 12 toward the medium 6 on the downstream side in the transport direction A of the ink ribbon 12 of the thermal head 14.

Also in the thermal transfer recording apparatus of the present invention, when a relatively hard medium such as plastic is used as the medium to be transferred, it is necessary to increase the pressing force of the thermal head to reliably transfer the ink to the medium. Since the bracket 20 formed of sheet metal or the like is used as the peeling member, it is possible to apply a desired pressing force, and even when a strong pressing force is applied, the lower end of the bracket 20 is bent. Since the bracket 20 of the ink ribbon 12 is pressed against the medium 6 by the line contact, the peeled ink ribbon 12 is smoothly conveyed along the circumferential surface of the bending portion 21. So it won't break.

By thus providing the bracket 20 holding the thermal head 14 with a function as a peeling member, it is not necessary to provide a new member for peeling the ink ribbon, and the peeling member is simply bent. It is possible to obtain an ink ribbon peeling mechanism at a low cost with a small number of parts.

[0012]

[Effect of device]

 As described above, in the thermal transfer recording apparatus according to the present invention, the bracket for holding the thermal head is bent at its lower end, and this bending part is positioned near the heat generating part of the thermal head. In this way, the thermal head is configured to be held from the downstream side of the ink ribbon transport. Therefore, the bent part at the bottom of the bracket acts as an ink ribbon peeling mechanism, and a relatively hard medium such as plastic is used as the transfer medium. In this case, it is possible to apply a desired pressing force, and it is not necessary to provide a new member for peeling the ink ribbon, and since the peeling member can be constructed simply by bending, This has an effect that the number of products is small and an ink ribbon peeling mechanism can be obtained at low cost.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a transfer head portion of a thermal transfer recording apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a main part of the transfer head unit of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of a conventional thermal transfer recording device.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a transfer head portion of a conventional thermal transfer recording device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Thermal transfer recording device 5 Transfer head part 6 Transfer medium 12 Ink ribbon 13 Ink sheet 14 Thermal head 15 Head pressing spring 20 Bracket 21 Bending part

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A thermal transfer recording apparatus for performing desired recording on a medium by pressing a thermal head having a heat generating portion at a lower end against the medium through an ink ribbon, wherein a bracket holding the thermal head has a lower end thereof. The portion is bent, and the bent portion is positioned near the heat generating portion of the thermal head to hold the thermal head from the downstream side of the ink ribbon conveyance. Thermal transfer recording device.