JPH08318634A - Rewritable recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) Abstract: A recording medium capable of repeatedly recording / erasing a visible image by heat is used to rapidly and continuously repeat uniform recording / erasing without recording unevenness of a visible image. Can
(EN) Provided is a rewritable recording device in which rewriting efficiency and visible image quality are not significantly adversely affected by the difference in use environment. In a device for sequentially recording and / or erasing a visible image on a recording medium having a reversible heat-sensitive recording material, a recording medium is sequentially conveyed by a conveying roller to a preheating body and a thermal head. A rewritable recording device, wherein the rewritable recording device is arranged at a position where heat of a preheating body is not transmitted.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recording medium capable of recording and erasing a visible image repeatedly, and particularly to a recording medium capable of repeating rewriting of a visible image by using heat, And / or a rewritable recording device for erasing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a recording medium capable of repeatedly recording and erasing a visible image, that is, a rewritable recording medium,
The photochromic material, the electromic material, the magneto-optical material of the type in which the phase difference of light due to the Kerr effect is extracted by using a polarizing plate, and especially the thermochromic material have been paid attention and studied. OHPs for various cards having a magnetic recording layer, such as telephone cards, prepaid cards such as ticket cards for transportation such as so-called orange cards, credit cards, bank cash cards, ID cards, etc.
It is expected to be used for many applications such as optical switches in optical systems, as well as for sheets and hard image displays such as electronic blackboards, etc., and is also expected as a means for storing and displaying image information by laser technology. In addition, since it is now partially put into practical use for cards, for example, the constant demand that existed for the realization of such a simple and reliable rewriting device is increasing at the market level. There is.

A rewritable recording apparatus which repeats recording / erasing of a visible image by using a recording medium capable of repeatedly recording / erasing a visible image by heat is conventionally known. We have already proposed an improved recording medium of the kind and have a preheating means consisting of a heat roller and a thermal head and also a rewritable recording device as shown in Fig. 21a, which also has a magnetic head. Proposal (Actual Kaihei 2-
3876).

On the other hand, another example of a rewritable recording apparatus that repeats recording / erasing of a visible image using a recording medium of the same kind capable of repeating recording / erasing of a visible image by heat is shown in FIG. 21b. The device described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-41781 can be mentioned. This device, in place of the erasing preheating means consisting of the heat roller,
An erasing preheating body having a preheating surface in which a linear heating resistor is arranged in a heating plane and a pressure platen roller cooperating with the erasing preheating body are used as erasing preheating means. The preheating surface is an elongated rectangle, and the linear heating resistor is parallel to the long side of the heating surface on the recording head side, that is, on the downstream side in the recording medium advancing direction with respect to the center of the elongated rectangular heating surface. This heating surface is arranged in the rewritable recording device so as to be pressed against the platen roller so as to come into line contact with the surface of the platen roller at the position of the linear heating resistor and to traverse the conveying path in the recording medium. Are carried into the line contact point. By providing a linear heating resistor parallel to the long side of the heating surface on the recording head side, that is, the downstream side in the recording medium moving direction from the center of the heating surface, the heating surface upstream side in the recording medium moving direction is recorded. It can be secured as an area for guiding the entry of the medium into the erasing heating surface. The heating surface of the preheating member is arranged so as to be pressed against the platen roller so as to form an angle of, for example, 45 ° with respect to the recording medium conveyance direction. Further, when the recording medium has a strong reaction force against bending, this angle causes a strong reaction force between the linear heating resistor of the heating surface of the erasing preheating member and the platen roller due to the strong reaction force. Since the pressing force may be weakened, it is described that it is more preferable that the pressing force be smaller in the transport direction of the recording medium. Thus, the elastic sheet-shaped recording medium conveyed to the preheating body is bent when its tip end hits the guide area of the heating surface and is bent along the heating surface, and the downstream side in the heating surface is reached. On the side, it is subjected to preheating for image erasing by a heating resistor. The energization to the linear heating element is pulse energization, and the energization amount is made larger at the start-up timing of the linear heating element than at the normal heating time after startup.
The number of pulses to be applied and the pulse width (milliseconds) are programmed beforehand. The erasing preheater is not always heated, but only when erasing a visible image. Therefore, unlike the electric furnace, for example, the temperature information monitored by the temperature sensor is not fed back to the control unit for energization control, but the device can be downsized, priced, and power consumption can be reduced. .

However, it is difficult to uniformly heat the recording medium with a desired amount of heat and a small amount of heat by using a heat roller or a platen roller having a non-negligible heat capacity as a member for heating, and it takes time to reach a stable temperature. However, various problems such as continuous high-speed processing of the recording medium cannot be performed, and a printing area whose temperature is not higher than the image erasing area occurs on the next reversible heat-sensitive recording medium due to heat-collected rollers, and that portion develops color later. It has been found for this type of device that there is a problem. Firstly, heating the roller surface to a uniform temperature itself causes non-uniformity and surface smoothness of the roller material,
It is quite difficult due to various factors such as the temperature gradient between the center and the end of the roller. Secondly, there is a difference in the time until the roller reaches the stable temperature due to the difference in the operating environment of the device. The time required to reach the area varies depending on the areas on the roller surface, and fourthly, there is a difference in the pressure for nip-conveying in each area of the recording medium even if an elastic pressure roller is used, and this difference means that the recording medium has a large sheet size. In the case of the size of the card, it is more remarkable than in the case of the size of the card. Fifthly, there is a difference in the degree of decrease when the temperature of the roller surface decreases due to the contact with the recording medium. This causes non-uniform heating in each area in the subsequent continuous preheating of the recording medium, and sixth, the heat accumulation in the roller causes undesired heat dissipation during the subsequent image erasing processing of the recording medium and causes fog. Next to Recording medium is so the problems that might the uneven pronounced than in the case of the card-sized size in the case of a sheet sized size was found.

Such a preheating body immediately generates heat when electricity is applied to the heating heating element, but heat is taken away by a heat roller or a platen roller which is in contact with the heating surface, and the preheating element is heated at a certain time. If this is not reached, the image on the recording medium cannot be erased. Therefore, it has been found that it is difficult to increase the processing speed. In order to deal with this, heating on both sides may be considered, but it is not effective for thick cards, power consumption is large, and a large device is required.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems in the prior art and to use a recording medium capable of repeating recording / erasing of a visible image by heat or a rewritable recording medium. An object of the present invention is to provide an improved rewritable recording device that repeats recording / erasing of a visible image, and in particular, it is possible to rapidly and continuously repeat uniform recording / erasing of a visible image and rewriting without recording unevenness. (EN) It is possible to provide a rewritable recording apparatus which is compact, lightweight, has excellent maintainability, is power saving, and does not cause a significant adverse effect on rewriting efficiency and visible image quality due to a difference in use environment.

[0008]

The object of the present invention is as follows. (1) "A recording medium having a reversible thermosensitive recording material is sequentially conveyed by a conveying roller to a preheating member and a thermal head. In a device for recording and / or erasing a visible image, the carrying roller is arranged at a position where heat of the preheating body is not transmitted. In a device that sequentially conveys to a preheating body and a thermal head to record and / or erase a visible image on a recording medium having a reversible thermosensitive recording material, the conveying roller is placed at a position where heat of the preheating body is not transmitted. A rewritable recording device, in which the recording medium is obliquely contacted with the preheating surface of the preheating member. Sequentially conveyed to Maruheddo, recording and a visible image on a recording medium having a reversible thermosensitive recording material /
Alternatively, in the erasing apparatus, the conveying roller is arranged at a position where heat of the preheating body is not transferred, and the recording medium is obliquely contacted with the preheating surface of the preheating body, and the preheating of the preheating body is performed. The rewritable recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the recording medium has an entrance angle of 0.1 to 80 ° with respect to the heating surface. (4) "The recording medium is conveyed by a conveying roller." In a device that sequentially conveys to a preheating body and a thermal head to record and / or erase a visible image on a recording medium having a reversible thermosensitive recording material, the conveying roller is placed at a position where heat of the preheating body is not transmitted. Pre-heating the pre-heating body by arranging the pre-heating surface of the pre-heating body to a position where the conveyance path of the recording medium in the conveyance path for conveying the recording medium is curved. Recording medium having a reversible thermosensitive recording material, in which the recording medium is brought into contact with a heated region of the recording medium ", (5)" The recording medium is sequentially conveyed by a conveying roller to a preheating body and a thermal head. In a device for recording and / or erasing a visible image, the conveying roller is arranged at a position where heat of the preheating body is not transferred, and the preheating surface of the preheating body conveys the recording medium. The degree of entry (Y) to the position where the recording medium conveyance path in the path is curved is 0.01 to 2.00 mm.
Rewritable recording device characterized by being “(6)
"In an apparatus for sequentially recording and / or erasing a visible image on a recording medium having a reversible thermosensitive recording material, the recording medium is sequentially conveyed by a conveying roller to a preheating body and a thermal head.
The conveying roller is arranged at a position where the heat of the preheating body is not transmitted, and the preheating surface of the preheating body reaches a position where the conveyance path of the recording medium in the conveyance path for conveying the recording medium is curved. Entry degree (Y) is 0.01 to 2.0
The preheater, which is 0 mm, is provided with a platen roller or a plate at a position facing the preheat surface while maintaining a non-contact state with the preheat surface. , A rewritable recording device which generates heat only when it comes into contact with the recording medium ", (7)" recording having a reversible thermosensitive recording material by sequentially conveying the recording medium to a preheating body and a thermal head by a conveying roller. In an apparatus for recording and / or erasing a visible image on a medium, the conveying roller is arranged at a position where heat of the preheating body is not transferred, and the conveying roller for conveying a recording medium is composed of the preheating body and the thermal medium. A rewritable recording device, which is not present between the heads, is arranged in front of the preheating body, and the recording medium is uniformly contacted with the conveying roller and is conveyed to the position of the preheating body. 8) "In a device for recording and / or erasing a visible image on a recording medium having a reversible thermosensitive recording material, the recording medium is sequentially conveyed by a conveying roller to a preheating body and a thermal head, and A rewritable recording device, characterized in that the preheating body and the thermal head are integrated into a conveying roller which is arranged at a position where the heat of the heating body is not transmitted and which conveys the recording medium. In a device for sequentially recording and / or erasing a visible image on a recording medium having a reversible thermosensitive recording material by sequentially conveying a recording medium to a preheating body and a thermal head by a conveyance roller, the preheating surface of the preheating body is The rewritable recording device according to any one of (1) to (8) above, wherein the surface treatment is performed so that the friction coefficient is 0.1 or less.

As a result of intensive studies for solving the problems in the prior art, for example, the above two prior arts, we completed the device of the present invention. The rewritable recording apparatus of the present invention satisfies the above needs.

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Here, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show one specific example of the rewritable recording apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 3 shows another characteristic apparatus aspect of the present invention, and FIG. 4, FIG. 5, FIG.
7 and 8 show an improved mechanism of the rewritable recording apparatus of the present invention for uniformly preheating the entire surface of the rewritable recording medium, and FIG. 9 shows a preheating area that causes undesirable heating unevenness and heat radiation. FIG. 6 shows an improved mechanism in the rewritable recording apparatus of the present invention for avoiding uneven contact between the recording medium and the platen roller at
FIGS. 10, 11 and 12 show an improved platen roller structure in the rewritable recording apparatus of the present invention for avoiding the inconvenient contact between the platen roller and the recording material as much as possible, and FIG. 13 shows the rewritable recording of the present invention. FIG. 14, FIG. 15 and FIG. 1 show a specific example of the case where the improved mechanism in the apparatus is further applied to a conveyance roller.
6, FIG. 17 and FIG. 18 show examples of the preheater (1) in the rewritable recording apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 19 shows other features of the present invention for downsizing the rewritable recording apparatus. FIG. 20 shows an example in which the thermal head and the preheating body are integrated to further reduce the size. FIG. 21 shows a roller mechanism which is a conventional platen roller and / or a conveyance roller and should be avoided in the present invention, just in case.

In the rewritable device of FIG. 21a (the device described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 2-3876) as an example of the prior art, magnetic information is recorded on the magnetic recording layer on the back surface and a visible image is recorded on the front surface. Information recording card (5)
In order to rewrite the visible image on the front side, the visible image is erased by the preheating means (1) driven by the preheating means driving part (9), and then driven by the thermal head driving part (8). The visible image is written again by the thermal head (2). Although a heat roller is used as the preheating means (1), the disadvantages of this device are as described above. In the rewritable device of FIG. 21b (for example, the device described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-41781), the recording medium (5) for erasing, which is a residual heat means, is used as a means for carrying in the direction of the arrow on the carrying path shown by the dashed line. Platen rollers (3) and (3) for conveying while pressing the heating head (1) and the thermal head for recording (2) and conveying rollers (4) are provided, and a conveying guide is appropriately provided in the conveying path. A position detection sensor (6) for detecting the position of the recording medium (5) being conveyed is provided. The heating surface of the preheating body (1) is pressed against the platen roller (3) so as to come into line contact with the surface of the platen roller (3) at the position of the linear heating resistor provided therein, and the conveying path is conveyed. Placed in the rewritable recording device across the
It cooperates with the platen roller (3) to nip the recording medium (5) conveyed to the line contact point and further advance it. The heating surface of the preheating body (1) is arranged so as to be pressed against the platen roller (3) so as to form an angle of, for example, 45 ° with respect to the conveyance direction of the recording medium (5). In addition, when the recording medium (5) has a strong reaction force against bending, this angle becomes a heating resistor on the heating surface of the erasing preheating body (1) due to the strong reaction force when the bending is large. Since the pressing force against the platen roller (3) may be weakened,
More preferably, it is made smaller in the transport direction of the recording medium (5). However, this type of rewritable device
Since the platen roller (3) is provided at the position of the preheating body (1) so as to be in contact with the preheating body (1), heat is accumulated in the platen roller (3) during the operation of this apparatus, and this apparatus accumulates heat. Recording medium (5)
There is a risk that the back surface will be heated and the erasure area will be the temperature of the print area, causing full color development.In addition, depending on the usage environment, it may take time for the device to start up and stabilize, or the processing may be delayed,
The platen roller (3) having a low temperature is the preheating body (1),
The heat is rapidly transferred from the recording medium (5) and radiated to the surrounding environment, resulting in defective erasing of a visible image, and the heat cannot be evenly transferred to the recording medium (5), which is particularly large in size. In the case of the recording medium (5), this tendency becomes remarkable,
In addition, as described above, the recording medium (5) has drawbacks such that the conveyance speed changes due to the contact resistance at the preheating position, the conveyance failure is likely to occur, and dust is attached.

Thus, in the present invention, the platen roller is eliminated during preheating. In the present invention, "eliminating the platen roller" means that (i) the platen roller is not used in the preheating unit, and (ii)
When using the platen roller in the preheating unit, arrange it so as to avoid contact at the preheating point, and
(Iii) A concave recess is formed on the entire surface of the platen roller so that at least a portion corresponding to the recording area of the image recording medium and a surface portion of the preheating member facing the heating surface do not come into contact with the heating surface. Alternatively, it means that at least the surface of the platen roller is provided with grid-like holes and the contact area with the heating surface of the portion of the preheating body facing the heating surface is made as small as possible.

1 and 2 show one specific example of the rewritable recording apparatus of the present invention. In the rewritable device of FIG. 1, the transport rollers (4) (4) as a means for transporting in the direction of the arrow on the transport path shown by the dashed-dotted line are configured so that the recording medium (5) is heated by the erasing head (1). Convey to the heated surface. Although exaggerated in FIG. 1 for easy understanding, in any case, the heating surface of the preheating head (1) and the platen roller (3) are arranged with a slight gap. And therefore recording medium (5)
Is made to enter the heating surface of the erasing heating head (1) at an angle of 80 ° or less along the heating surface, and due to its own rigidity, only the heating surface steadily abuts and there from the heating surface. However, when the recording medium is not present at this point, there is no contact between the preheating body (1) and the platen roller (5). This point is one of the basic aspects of the present invention. Then, for example, in order to guide the recording medium (5) entering at an angle that is not nearly perpendicular to the heating surface into the heating surface area more reliably, the rear end of the heating surface extends to the rear part to a considerable extent. ing.

In FIG. 2 for explaining this point, the recording medium (5) conveyed in the direction of the arrow on the conveying path indicated by the one-dot broken line comes into contact with the platen roller by the conveying rollers (4) and (4). The preheater (1), which is not present, is further advanced, where it is preheated and left for image erasing, and then is advanced to the heating position, for example, the position of the recording thermal head (2), where it is heated for image formation. It The presence of the recording material (1) in the conveying path is monitored by the position detection sensor (6) provided in front of the conveying rollers (4) (4), and the recording material (1) is transferred to the preheating body (1). Only when it is made to enter, the preheating body (1) is energized and / or the energization amount is increased. This is also one of the other basic features of the present invention, and thus not only power saving but also undesirable recording unevenness in the recording material, increase in background density, etc. can be avoided. In addition, in this case, the distance between the position of the preheating body (1) and the position of the thermal head (2) is such that the elasticity of the recording medium (5) that has come out of the preheating position does not depend on the platen roller. The rigidity is short enough to surely reach the next heating position, for example, the position of the thermal head (2), so that the recording medium (5) can be reliably conveyed into the rewritable recording device. The conveyance guide member can be omitted, and thus the device can be further downsized.

FIG. 3 is a view for explaining another characteristic apparatus aspect of the present invention, and is a characteristic enlarged view of a part of the portion of the apparatus. This figure is exaggerated for ease of understanding the device. Here, the recording medium (5) transported by the transport rollers (4) (4)
Is detected by the position detection sensor (6), and by this detection signal, the controller (not shown) immediately before or at the same time when the recording medium (5) contacts the preheating body (1), the preheating body (1). ) Generate heat. The energization control itself for such a heating element has been described above (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-417).
No. 81), which is conventionally known in this field. Thus, unnecessary and possibly harmful heat radiation to the platen roller (3) is prevented. Further, according to FIG. 3, a gap is provided between the preheating body (1) and the platen roller (3), and both are in a non-contact state when the recording medium (5) is not present in this gap. Be understood. When repeating the preheating, as described above, the platen roller (3) is used.
Although the heat dissipation to the heat source is likely to be harmful, the gap reliably reduces this heat dissipation. Further, the gap ensures the transport even when the rewritable recording material is thick. In this example, the recording medium conveyed (5)
Position is monitored by the position detection sensor (6), the output signal is input to the controller that controls the energization of the heating element, and the energization of the heating element is easily controlled by, for example, ON-OFF control to perform preheating. Heat generation to the platen roller (3) is prevented by generating heat before or after the recording medium (5) contacts the body (1). This mechanism solves the above-mentioned problem that the platen roller (3) located near the preheater (1) accumulates heat when the rewritable recording apparatus is continuously energized for a long time. It is possible to heat the preheater (1) with timing only when the presence of is monitored. This mechanism is extremely useful because defective conveyance is likely to occur when a thick card is rewritten. In the case of a rewritable recording apparatus adopting this mechanism, the platen roller (3) can also be arranged in the vicinity of the preheating body (1), and the size of the apparatus can be reduced. Figure 10,
The effect of adopting the improved platen roller as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 is made more remarkable.

FIG. 4, FIG. 5, FIG. 6, FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 show the recording medium (5) in the rewritable recording apparatus according to the present invention even if the platen roller and the recording material conveying guide are removed.
This is an example of a mechanism for ensuring that the entire surface of the is uniformly preheated. In the mechanism of FIG. 4, the preheating body (1) and the transport roller (4) (at the position where the insertion angle (x °) of the recording medium (5) into the preheating body (1) is in an appropriate range. 4) are arranged, and by this mechanism, the recording medium (5) can be brought into uniform contact with the preheating body (1), and the heat is uniformly transferred from the preheating body (1). Uniform erasing of the visual image becomes possible on the entire surface of the preheating body (1). The recording medium (5) is a plastic card (polyester, polyamide, with a thickness of 100 μ or more as a base, such as a telephone card, a so-called orange card.
When the insertion angle (x °) is smaller than 0.1 °, the recording medium (5) is uniformly contacted with the preheating body (1) in the case of using polyimide, polypropylene, etc.), paper, or synthetic paper. On the other hand, if it is larger than 80.0 °, conveyance failure occurs.
Furthermore, when the insertion angle (x °) is in the range of 0.1 ° to 80.0 °, the insertion into the preheating body (1) is made more reliable,
Moreover, in order to make the contact with the heating surface of the preheating body (1) effective, the insertion speed of the recording medium (5) into the preheating body (1) is preferably carried out from the preheating body (1). Can be greater than speed.

FIG. 5 shows another example of the mechanism for bringing the recording medium (5) into uniform contact with the preheating body (1) over the entire surface. In this mechanism, as shown in the figure, the front end of the preheating body (1) has a platen roller (3) placed after the preheating body (1) and a conveying roller (4) (placed in front). The recording medium (5) is arranged so as to enter the conveyance path with the recording medium (4), and the tip of the recording medium (5) is biased so as to uniformly heat the entire surface of the recording medium (5) passing through the conveyance path. Pressure is applied from the heating surface of the preheating body (1) to the heated surface of the recording medium (5). The recording medium (5) bends due to this pressing force and passes through an eccentric curved path deviated from the originally straight conveying path. Further, the recording medium (5) is brought into uniform contact with the heating surface of the preheating body (1) by the elastic stress against the pressing force. Recording medium made of plastic sheet (polyester, polyamide, polyimide, polypropylene, etc.), paper or synthetic paper sheet using a large size base such as A4 size or B5 size and thickness of 50μ or more (5)
Since the width is wide, uneven contact is often generated in some cases, and it is easy to cause defective erasing of a visible image. According to our actual inspection using the mechanism of FIG. 5, the visible image is erased particularly when the degree of penetration (y) of the tip of the preheating body (1) into the transport path is set to less than 0.01 mm. A defect has occurred. Further, the transport rollers (4) (4)
Conveyance failure from the sheet to the platen roller (3) and wrinkles on the recording medium (5). Therefore, the degree of entry (y) of the tip portion of the preheater (1) into the transport path in the mechanism of FIG. 5 is preferably 0.01 mm or more.

FIG. 6 shows another example of the mechanism for uniformly contacting the recording medium (5) with the preheating body (1). In this example, the recording medium (5) has a heating surface which is convexly curved after passing through the conveying rollers (4) and (4), and the heating portion of the preheating body (1) has a heating surface of the recording medium (5). Are brought into line contact with each other and preheated, and then conveyed to a heating unit including a thermal head (2) and a platen roller (3). When the recording medium (5) is preheated by the preheating body (1), the surface to be heated of the recording medium (5) is line-contacted with the heating element of the preheating body (1) rather than being in surface contact with the heating medium. It is also effective in some cases to convey (5) to uniformly preheat the surface to be heated of the recording medium (5). This is especially the case when a linear heating element having a high calorific value is adopted as the heating element of the preheating element (1) and it is desired to preliminarily rapidly heat a rigid elastic body such as a card.

FIG. 7 shows still another example of the mechanism for bringing the recording medium (5) into uniform contact with the preheating body (1). In this example, the left side end of the preheating body (1) is a free end, and the other end is axially fixed to a cam-equipped hibot shaft so as to be capable of rotating in stages up to a specific angle position. In FIG. 7, the rotatable angle is exaggerated and shown by a chain line. With this structure, the heating surface of the preheating body (1) has an angle of contact with the recording medium (5) depending on the difference in rigidity and elasticity of the recording medium (5) that advances through the conveying rollers (4) and (4). Can be changed. In this case, the preheated body (1)
The position of the heating surface in contact with the recording medium (5) is displaced due to the difference in the rotation angle of the recording medium (5). In the case of the conventional rewritable recording device in which the platen roller is arranged so as to make line contact with the surface of the platen roller only at the position of the linear heating resistor provided in the heating surface of the preheating body, No deviation is allowed.

FIG. 8 shows another example of the mechanism for uniformly contacting the recording medium (5) with the preheating body (1). Also in FIG. 8, the rotatable angle is exaggerated and shown by a chain line. In this example, the right end of the preheating body (1) is axially fixed to the hibot shaft so as to be rotatable, and the free end is provided with a spring body (spring). As a result, the recording medium (5)
The heated surface of the recording medium (5) can be sufficiently brought into contact with the heating element of the preheating element (1) against the rigidity and elasticity of the recording medium (5). Also in this example, the "contact position shift" of the heating surface, which is not allowed in the case of the conventional apparatus, is allowed. A conveyance guide member for ensuring the conveyance can be omitted, and thus the device can be further downsized.

FIG. 9 shows a specific example in which the platen roller (3) is arranged at a position avoiding the preheating point (ii) when used in the preheating unit. In this example, both shafts of the platen roller (3) are supported by the tip of a bifurcated arm, and the lower end of the bifurcated arm is supported by a pivot shaft with a cam so that the pivot rotation is performed so as to take a position A or a position B. As a result, the platen roller (3) is always arranged so as to avoid the heating point of the preheating body (1). Also, as shown, a small cam may be provided between the platen roller (3) and the pivot shaft.

FIGS. 10, 11 and 12 show the above-mentioned "(i
ii) Forming concave depressions on the platen roller surface so that at least the surface portion of the preheating body facing the heating surface does not come into contact with the heating surface, or at least preheating the platen roller surface with the grid-like holes. The portion of the body facing the heating surface should have as small a contact area as possible with the heating surface. "

Here, FIG. 10 is a typical example in which a concave recess is formed on the entire surface of the platen roller so that at least the surface portion of the preheating body facing the heating surface does not come into contact with the heating surface. The area where the concave depression is provided is equal to the effective image area of the recording medium (5), so that the image area can be enlarged. The platen roller (3) in this example has collar-shaped portions at both ends, and only the collar-shaped portions are the preheating body (1).
The surface portion of the preheating body which is in contact with the heating surface of the preheating body and faces the heating surface of the preheating body is recessed in a concave shape to form a space which is not in contact with the heating surface. Only the brim-shaped portion comes into contact with the heating surface of the preheating body (1). The contact peripheral surface at the tip of the collar-shaped portion has contact areas left and right only.

FIG. 11 shows an example in which this is further improved. The collar-shaped portion is thinner toward the outer peripheral side, and the contact peripheral surface at the tip of the outermost peripheral portion has only a small contact area.

In FIG. 12, at least the surface of the platen roller is provided with concave depressions surrounded by a lattice-shaped skeleton, and the portion of the preheating member facing the heating surface has a contact area with the heating surface as small as possible. This is a specific example. In this example, only the grid-like skeleton portion of the platen roller (3) contacts the heating surface of the preheating body (1). The recording medium (5) that has entered this contact point is reliably sandwiched between the grid-like skeleton portion of the platen roller (3) and the heating surface of the preheating body (1), and therefore, there is no conveyance failure.

FIG. 13 shows an essential part of an example in which the structure of the platen roller (3) according to the present invention is also adopted in the conveying rollers (4) and (4). In this example, a concave depression is formed on the entire circumference of the surface of the pair of conveying rollers (4) (4), and at least the surface portion facing the visible image erasing / forming area of the recording medium (5) has the visible image. It does not touch the erase / form area. The conveying rollers (4) (4) in this example have flange-shaped portions at both ends, and only the flange-shaped portions are the recording medium (5).
A space that is in contact with the surface of the recording medium (5) and faces the surface of the visible image erasing / forming area between the collar-shaped portions is concave, and does not contact the surface of the visible image erasing / forming area. Is formed. Recording medium in rewritable recording device (5)
In order to ensure proper transport of the transport rollers (4) and (4) between the preheater (1) and the thermal head (2), the transport rollers (4) (4) ), Local uneven cooling may occur, and printing unevenness may occur in the thermal head area, but if the conveying rollers cannot be removed despite this, the conveying rollers (4) and (4) shown in FIG. 12 are used. Then, the occurrence of pre-print unevenness is reduced. Further, the carrying rollers (4) and (4) are preferably used as a carrying roller system for the entrance and the exit of the rewritable recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIGS. 14, 15 and 16 show examples of the preheating body (1) in the rewritable recording apparatus of the present invention.

The preheater (1) example of FIG. 14 employs a sintered alumina insulator as an insulating and heat insulating substrate,
A linear ceramic resistance heating element is provided on the surface of the base, and the ceramic resistance heating element is covered with a glass material. The glass layer protects the heating surface from repeated friction with the recording medium (5) and also reduces friction with the recording material (5). In the example of the preheating body (1) in FIG. 15, the ceramic resistance heating element portion of the preheating substrate having a linear ceramic resistance heating element on the surface is covered with a glass material, and the entire heating surface and the upper side surface of the edge portion are covered. The preheated body (1) having a surface with a friction coefficient of 0.1 or less is obtained by coating with a low friction material such as Teflon resin. Since such a preheater (1) has less friction with the recording medium (5), the recording medium (5) can be transported more smoothly, dust adhesion and dust generation can be further suppressed, and the number of times cleaning is required can be further increased. make low.

In the example of the preheating body (1) shown in FIG. 16, the ceramic resistance heating element portion of the preheating substrate having a linear ceramic resistance heating element on the surface is coated with a glass material, and an aluminum plate is heat-resistant adhered thereon. A preheated body (1) was obtained by bonding with an agent and mirror-finishing the surface on the opposite side of the aluminum plate. Since such a preheating body (1) has less friction with the recording medium (5), it facilitates the conveyance of the recording medium (5), suppresses dust adhesion and dust generation, and lowers the number of times cleaning is required. Prolongs the life of the heating element (1),
At the same time, the life of the preheated body (1) is extended.

FIG. 17 shows the preheater (1) as described above.
It is for explaining one specific example for manufacturing. In this example, the preheating body as shown in FIG. 15 can be converted into the preheating body as shown in FIG. However, in that case, the adhesive for adhering between the bare surface of the preheated body and the aluminum plate does not necessarily need to be Teflon resin having a good releasability. It is possible to use an adhesive having a high thermal conductivity, such as an epoxy resin adhesive, which has a strong affinity with the glass material exposed on the bare preheated surface, the alumina sintered body, and the aluminum surface. It is preferable to use a thermosetting resin having excellent heat resistance.

FIG. 18 shows another example of the preheating body in the apparatus of the present invention. The heat-sensitive rewritable recording apparatus may have a difference in preheating temperature due to a difference in usage environment even when the amount of electricity is constant, and as a result, an undesired recording defect or recording unevenness may occur in the recording material (1). Such inconvenience is prevented by monitoring the heat generation temperature of the preheating body (1), returning the obtained temperature signal to the controller, and controlling the amount of electricity to the preheating body (1) based on this signal. be able to. Therefore, in this example, a temperature sensor for monitoring the heat generation temperature is arranged near the ceramic heating element.

The preheated body in the present invention may be one using a ceramic resistor, and may be one using RuO ₂ , Ag or Pd as the resistor material. Further, when these preheated bodies (1) are adopted, even if the contact surface of the recording medium (5) with respect to the preheated bodies (1) is the front surface side or the back surface, the visible image can be erased. Of course either side is good.

19 and 20 show other features for miniaturization of the device of the present invention. In the present invention, as described above, the distance between the preheater (1) and the thermal head (2) should be as short as possible until the recording medium (5) contacts the thermal head (2). It is also one of the points of interest to prevent local cooling of the recording medium (5) without contacting it.

In FIG. 19, a recording medium (not shown) is conveyed to the conveying path by the conveying rollers (4) and (4).
At the preheating position where the platen roller is not provided, the preheating member (1) applies the preheating for image erasing,
Next, the image is re-formed by being heated at an image forming position having the thermal head (2) and the platen roller (3). Here, the preheating body (1) can move its position in the direction indicated by the arrow in the horizontal direction in the figure so that the distance from the position of the thermal head (2) can be adjusted. In some cases, it is desirable that the recording medium is immediately subjected to heating for image formation after preheating, and in such a case, the preheating body (1) is moved to the thermal head side to generate heat.

FIG. 20 shows an example in which the thermal head (2) and the preheating body (1) are integrated to further reduce the size. In the present invention, this makes the platen roller (3) in contact with the preheater (1) difficult.

Local contact cooling in the image recording area of the recording medium (5) by the conventional platen roller (3) and / or transport roller (4) as shown in FIG. 21c is printed by the thermal head (2). At the time of printing, it is obvious that it causes printing unevenness and is undesirable.

Therefore, from the viewpoint of shortening the gap between the thermal head (2) and the thermal head (2) as much as possible, as shown in FIG. 20a, in the present invention, the preheating body (1) and the thermal head (2) are preheating bodies. The heat generating surface of (1) and the heat generating surface of the thermal head (2) may be integrated into a structure that is positioned at a certain angle and a slight distance. Further, this integration is carried out by, as shown in FIG. 20b, the heating surface of the preheating body (1) and the thermal head (2).
It may have a specific structure such that it has a direction substantially perpendicular to the heat generating surface and is located adjacent to it. Further, as described above, in the integrated body of the preheating body (1) and the thermal head (2), an adhesive such as a heat-resistant polyester resin is used for the preheating body (1) part, and an aluminum foil or a plate material is applied thereon. By disposing and mirror-finishing the surface, the coefficient of friction can be set to 0.1, the transportability can be improved, dust adhesion and dust generation can be further suppressed, and the number of times cleaning is required can be further reduced. Further, these surfaces are characterized by being uniform and having no surface roughness Rmax of 1.0 μm or less in terms of prevention of scratches and the like, and are not sharp. (The surface roughness is the data measured by Tokyo Seimitsu Co., Ltd. Surfcom width 2.5mm)

By the way, as a rewritable recording medium using a heat-sensitive recording material, in general, TC-a transparent state at a first specific temperature and a cloudy state at a second specific temperature (JP-A-55-154198).
JP-A-5-124360), CTC-color-developing at a second specific temperature and erasing at a first specific temperature (JP-A-5-124360).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 3-169), a white turbid state at a first specific temperature and a transparent state at a second specific temperature (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-169).
(See Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 590), and a color that develops black, red, blue, or the like at a first specific temperature, and erases color at a second specific temperature (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. HEI-2)
No. 188293 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-188294) are known, but the rewritable recording apparatus of the present invention can process any of these heat-sensitive rewritable recording media. These recording materials may be provided with an ultraviolet-curable resin protective layer for protecting the surface, and silica powder, calcium carbonate powder or other filler, and silicone oil or other lubricant may be added to this protective layer. May be As a support,
Plastic film, such as polyester film
The substrate may be a metal film, paper, or synthetic paper, on which an ink printing layer, a vapor deposition film, an air layer, etc. may be provided, and further a magnetic layer, a magneto-optical layer, an optical memo, an IC memory, etc. May be Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to Examples and Comparative Examples.

[0039]

【Example】

Example 1 This example was carried out using the recording apparatus of the present invention having the structure shown in FIG. Here, as a recording medium (5), a RED card made by Kobayashi recording paper (size is a erasing print area flow of 4 cm and width of 5 cm according to JIS standard) is used, and the preheating body (1) is 5 mm in width, 15 μm in thickness and length. 60 mm, made of RuO ₂ material, a thermal head was used as a heating element head (2) for the thermal recording means, and HPR-2123 manufactured by Anritsu was used as a preheating element, and the surface temperature was 11
The recording medium (5) is conveyed at a speed of 20 to 22 mm / min. Then, the image is erased, and then the current is adjusted to pass through the erase print area when the card reaches a stable temperature by being energized before coming into contact with the preheating body. -56-8M
It was printed with GKI, 0.3 mj / dot). Even if it was repeated, there was no problem in erasing and printing.

Example 2 Using the apparatus, conditions and recording medium of Example 1, the reversible thermosensitive recording material for the preheating surface of the preheating body (1) in which the card as the recording medium (5) contacts the preheating body. When the card was conveyed with the insertion angle (shown in FIG. 4) set to about 45 °, the erasure print area of the card could be expanded to 8 cm in the flow direction and 105 cm in the width direction.

Example 3 Using the apparatus, conditions and recording medium of Example 2, by setting the insertion angle (x) to 30 ° C., the end of the card, which is the recording medium (5) using the bonded body as a base, There is no peeling or misalignment and repeated use is possible. The insertion speed was 1 to 5% faster than the overall speed, but no abnormality occurred.

Example 4 Using the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, a preheated body (1) having a width of 5 m is used.
m, thickness 15 μm, length 20 mm, material RuO ₂ , surface temperature 100-110 ° C., transport speed 12-1
5 mm / min. As a thermal head (Kyocera K
Printing was performed with ST-104-8MPDI, 0.3 mj / dot). The recording medium (1) at this time is B
An S520 (reversible recording medium having a protective layer containing 3% of Callite KT (registered trademark)) having a length of 188 cm was adopted. This erasing / printing device shown in FIG.
As shown in (1), the heating surface of the preheating body (1) was advanced into the conveyance path. The recording medium (1) was repeatedly erased / printed, but no problem occurred.

Example 5 Using the apparatus, conditions and recording medium of Example 4, the "entry degree (y) mm" of the preheated body (1) of the present invention shown in FIG. Keeping at 0.01 mm or more, and using a laminated substrate with a thickness of PET 100 μm manufactured by Toyobo as a recording medium, the surface has black printing, and a UV curable adhesive (1199 manufactured by Nihon Gosei Kagaku) is applied to the periphery. The above recording medium was adopted, and erasing / printing was repeatedly performed on this recording medium, but no problem occurred.

Example 6 In the apparatus and conditions of Example 1, the mechanism of the apparatus of the present invention shown in FIG. 2 was adopted, and the platen roller (3) was brought as close as possible to the preheated body (1) and the platen roller (3) of 0.5 cm was used. As a recording medium (5), a recording medium BA520 made by Ricoh was used as a recording medium (this is an IC card made by MKC of JIS standard, 50 μm thick,
A urethane sheet with a size of 50m x 50m and 0.5mm is attached, and this urethane sheet is JIS standard MKC.
Erasing / printing was repeatedly performed by using an IC card manufactured by the manufacturer). At this time, the conveyance timing of the recording medium (5) is detected by the sensor (6), and the preheating body (1) is energized after the recording medium (5) contacts the preheating body (1). Was adjusted. By this operation, printing unevenness did not occur and image erasing failure did not occur.

Example 7 Based on the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, a recording medium (1) as shown in FIG. 13 is used as a carrier system between a preheating body (1) and a thermal head (2). Erasure / printing was repeated under the recording medium and conditions of Example 1 except that the transport rollers (4) and (4) provided with concave portions that did not come into contact with the image area were used. It was confirmed that the transportability was improved, there was no local cooling of the recording medium, and printing unevenness did not occur.

Example 8 A heating unit of the type in which the thermal head (2) and the preheating body (1) as shown in FIG. 20a are integrated is used, and the platen roller is connected to the thermal head (2) and the preheating body (1). ), The erasing / printing operation was performed using the same conditions and recording medium (5) as in Example 1 except that the recording medium (5) was not placed in direct contact with the recording medium (5).
The energy of the thermal head is 0.24 mj / d
Printing was possible with energy as low as ot.

Example 9 Using the same apparatus, conditions and recording medium as those of Example 1, the preheater (1) used in Example 8 was replaced with Teflon tape (trade name) manufactured by 3M. 16 and 1
As shown in 7, the coating and erasing / printing were repeated, but scratches on the surface of the recording medium (5) were reduced and sticking was reduced.

Example 10 Using the same apparatus, conditions and recording medium as those of Example 1, the preheated body (1) used in Example 9 was polished to obtain R ₉ = 0.5-1. Erasing / printing was repeated by coating an aluminum plate having a thickness of 0.0 μm, but scratches on the surface of the recording medium (5) were further reduced.

Comparative Example 1 Using the conventional apparatus shown in FIG. 21b, erasing printing was repeated using the conditions of Example 1 and the recording medium, but initially the platen roller (3) was exposed to heat and was unstable. As a result, the image erasing of the card was defective and stable erasing / printing could not be performed.

Comparative Example 2 Using the same conditions as in Example 3, the same recording medium, and the recording medium, the insertion angle (x) into the preheater (1) was set to 85 ° C., and erasing / printing was repeated, but it was repeated. Each time there was a gap in the pasting of cards.

Comparative Example 3 Using the conditions of Example 5 and the same conditions as the recording medium, and using the recording medium, the "entry degree (y) mm" of the tip of the preheating body (1) into the transport path was set to 3 cm. Repeated erase printing,
When the recording medium in which the penetration degree (y) is too large and the rear end portion is still sandwiched by the transport rollers (4) and (4) is sandwiched by the thermal head (2) and the platen roller (3), and drawn,
The heat-softened recording medium (5) was stretched and wrinkled, and erasing / printing could not be repeated.

Comparative Example 4 Using the apparatus, conditions and recording medium of Example 1, the recording medium (5) was conveyed by the conventional conveying rollers (4) and (4) shown in FIG. Since the portion of the recording medium (5) that came into contact with the ink was rapidly cooled, image unevenness occurred during the next printing, and erasing / printing could not be repeated. It was publicized that the durability of the recording medium (5) used was locally reduced.

[0053]

As is apparent from the above specific description,
According to the apparatus of the present invention, repeated erasing / printing of an image on a heat-sensitive rewritable recording medium can be processed at high speed and continuously, the rise time for processing the recording medium can be shortened, and the image due to heat storage of the apparatus can be reduced. Erasure defects and print unevenness are eliminated, the durability variation of the recording medium that should be used repeatedly is reduced, the effective image area on the recording medium can be expanded, and misalignment and peeling when the recording medium is a laminated card Even in the case of large-sized recording media and thick card type recording media, image erasing / printing operations can be performed reliably and quickly and continuously over the entire area, and the recording media can be used for a long time. Even if it is exposed, the surface will not be scratched and the performance will not deteriorate, and various excellent effects such as stains, dust adhesion and sticking on both the recording device and the recording medium will not occur. .

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing one specific example of a rewritable recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a main part of a rewritable recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a preheating mechanism in the recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing another preheating mechanism in the recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing still another preheating mechanism in the recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing still another preheating mechanism in the recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing still another preheating mechanism in the recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing still another preheating mechanism in the recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a structure for avoiding inconvenient contact between a platen roller and a recording material in the recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing another structure for avoiding inconvenient contact between the platen roller and the recording material in the recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing still another structure for avoiding inconvenient contact between the platen roller and the recording material in the recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing still another structure for avoiding inconvenient contact between the platen roller and the recording material in the recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an improved conveyance roller in the recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing a preheating body in the rewritable recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing a preheating body in the rewritable recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing a preheating body in the rewritable recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing a preheating body in the rewritable recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram showing a preheating body in the rewritable recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram showing a preheater whose position can be changed in the rewritable recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram showing a preheating body integrated with a heating body in the recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram showing a typical example of a conventional rewritable recording apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Preheating Body 2 Image Forming Heating Body 3 Platen Roller 4 Conveying Roller 5 Rewritable Recording Medium 6 Recording Medium Position Detection Sensor 7 Magnetic Head 8 Thermal Head Driving Section 9 Preheating Means Driving Section

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Takao Igawa 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Within Ricoh Co., Ltd.

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. An apparatus for sequentially recording and / or erasing a visible image on a recording medium having a reversible thermosensitive recording material by sequentially conveying a recording medium to a preheating body and a thermal head by a conveying roller. A rewritable recording device, wherein the rewritable recording device is arranged at a position where heat of the preheating body is not transmitted. 2. The rewritable recording device according to claim 1, wherein the reversible thermosensitive recording medium is obliquely contacted with the preheating surface of the preheating member. 3. The rewritable tab according to claim 2, wherein the reversible thermosensitive recording medium has an entrance angle of 0.1 ° to 80 ° with respect to the preheating surface of the preheating member. Recording device. 4. The preheating of the preheating body by advancing the preheating surface of the preheating body to a position where the conveyance path of the reversible thermosensitive recording medium in the conveyance path for conveying the reversible thermosensitive recording medium is curved. The rewritable recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the surface is brought into contact with a heated area of the recording medium. 5. The degree of penetration (Y) of the preheated surface of the preheater to a position where the reversible thermosensitive recording medium conveyance path is curved in the conveyance path for conveying the reversible thermosensitive recording medium is 0. The rewritable recording device according to claim 4, wherein the rewritable recording device has a length of 01 to 2.00 mm. 6. The preheating body is provided with a platen roller or a plate at a position facing the preheating surface while maintaining a non-contact state with the preheating surface. 6. The rewritable recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the heat is generated only when the reversible thermosensitive recording medium is brought into contact with the rewritable recording medium. 7. A transport roller for transporting a recording medium does not exist between the preheating body and the thermal head, but is arranged in front of the preheating body, and the reversible thermosensitive recording medium is uniformly distributed on the transport roller. The rewritable recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rewritable recording apparatus is brought into contact with the sheet and conveyed to the position of the preheating body. 8. The rewritable recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the preheating body and the thermal head are integrated in a conveyance roller that conveys a recording medium. 9. The rewritable recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the preheated surface of the preheated body is surface-treated so as to have a friction coefficient of 0.1 or less. . 10. The rewritable product according to claim 1, wherein the surface property of the preheated surface of the preheater is Rmax 1.0 μm or less. Recording device.