JPH09136442A - Image forming method and image forming system - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) Abstract: Disclosed is an image forming method in which pre-printing, a visual image, and a machine-read image are not misaligned. A sensor S1 for scanning in the X-axis direction is arranged above a stage 51, and a plastic is provided. A mark 15 detected by the sensor S1 is drawn on the card 3, a reference value in the X-axis and Y-axis directions is set for the mark 15 which is a reference for proper pre-printing, and the mark 25 of the plastic card 3 loaded on the stage 51 is used. A deviation amount from the reference mark 15 is calculated, and the face photograph 1 is transferred to the transfer film 52 based on the deviation amount.
3, while visual images such as the character information 14 are drawn, the machine-read image 16 is drawn with the holding position of the plastic card 3 on the stage 52 as a reference, and in the secondary transfer from the transfer film 52 to the plastic card 3, It is characterized in that the transferred image including the displacement amount is transferred with reference to the holding position of the plastic card on the stage 52.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming method for recording a visual image or information read by a card reader or the like on a transfer object such as a plastic card or a booklet.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an image forming method, a transfer image is drawn on a transfer layer of an intermediate transfer medium by a thermal head in the primary transfer, and the intermediate transfer medium is applied onto a transfer target in the secondary transfer, and heat is applied. An indirect transfer method has been proposed in which a transfer image is transferred to a transfer target together with a transfer layer by heating and pressing means such as a roller (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-72046).
And Japanese Patent Application No. 4-231952).

This indirect transfer method has been studied by the inventors, and it depends on the degree of curvature of the transfer surface of the transferred material, the unevenness, the presence or absence of scratches, the presence or absence of ink adhesion, discoloration, fading, etc. Since the transfer layer can be selected by using the transfer layer, the target range of the transfer target such as a booklet and a curved portion can be widened, not only the plastic card, which is extremely effective.

[0004]

As a result of studying these image forming methods, the inventors have found that there is still room for improvement.

That is, in the indirect transfer method, there are many cases in which there is pre-printing for designating the position where the image information should be recorded in advance on the recording medium. That is, it is the space between items, the underline, the item name, and the white space for a facial photograph. When there is such pre-printing, if the image is not transferred from the intermediate transfer medium in accordance with this designation, the transferred image and the pre-printing will overlap and become invisible, or recording will be performed in the non-designated column. There is a problem that ends up.

[0006] In preprinting, when printing is actually performed on a medium, or when cutting or binding into a predetermined shape, there is inevitably a certain amount of positional variation. It was difficult to align the pre-printing and the transfer image recording by only detecting the position and aligning the transfer position with the position and the position reference mark provided on the intermediate transfer medium.

In addition, when a machine-readable image record (OCR, bar code, MICR character) is further included in the image recording, the position of the image recording relative to the recording medium is set so that the image recording does not hinder mechanical reading. It was found that it is necessary to keep it constant, and position adjustment is necessary for visual image recording.

An object of the present invention is to adjust the transfer position of visual image information to a recording medium in pre-printing on the recording medium in the indirect transfer type image recording system, and at the same time to match the position of the recording medium for machine read image information. By recording each of them, each recording can be recorded at an appropriate position on the recording medium according to its purpose.

[0009]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the image forming method according to the first aspect of the present invention sets the orthogonal coordinate axes on the stage having the X-axis as the transport direction to set the transfer target. A transfer image consisting of a visually recognizable visual image and a machine-readable image read by a machine is drawn on an intermediate transfer medium while being held in a fixed posture, and in the secondary transfer, this intermediate transfer medium is transferred to the X An image forming method in which the transfer image is conveyed from the axial direction onto the transfer target and the transfer image is transferred from the intermediate transfer medium to the transfer target, and the visual image is transferred to a predetermined position before the primary transfer. A mark indicating the position of the pre-printing is drawn on the transfer target on which the pre-printing is drawn in advance, and the detection component in the Y-axis direction of the mark changes simultaneously with the change in the detection component in the X-axis direction. A sensor for detecting the mark by scanning in the X-axis direction is provided above the stage, and the physical quantity of the pre-printed mark on the transfer-receiving body is drawn as a reference mark. Is set as a reference value, the sensor is scanned in the X-axis direction with respect to the transferred material carried into the stage, the detected mark and the reference mark are compared with each physical quantity, and the pre-transferred object of the transferred material is compared. A print shift amount is obtained, and in the primary transfer, the visual image is drawn based on the shift amount, while the machine-read image is drawn using the holding position of the transfer target on the stage as a reference, and the secondary transfer is performed. In the above, the transfer image including the displacement amount is transferred with reference to the holding position of the transfer target carried on the stage.

In this image forming method, an ink ribbon and a thermal head are usually used to draw a transfer image on the intermediate transfer medium, but an ink jet type or a printing method may be used. Further, in the secondary transfer, the layer transferred from the intermediate transfer medium to the transfer target is a transfer layer which is usually an adhesive layer, but the present invention is established even if the transfer layer is not necessarily required.

The mark of the transferred material is not only an image visually recognized, but also a mark detected by a sensor even if it is not visually recognized, or a specific line drawing such as a frame or ground pattern of the drawn image itself, or a mark as a mark. You may set it. The shape of the mark is an isosceles triangle, a right triangle, a circle, an ellipse,
A rhombus or the like can be used, but the present invention is not limited to this, and an oblique straight line or curved line may be used. When the sensor is moved on the mark in the X-axis direction and scanned, if at least the elapsed time from the start of mark detection or the amount of movement can be detected, the amount of deviation from the reference mark can be measured.

Visual images are usually facial photographs, characters, figures,
It is a ground-based visual image, and the machine-readable image is data that is read by an optical method, but the visual image and the mechanical-read image may include data that is optically read or data that is magnetically readable.

According to the image forming method of the first aspect of the present invention, when the mark on the transferred object to be transferred and the mark on the reference transferred object are deviated in the X-axis and Y-axis directions, this deviation is detected by the X-axis of the sensor. It is detected only by scanning in the axial direction, and a visual image is drawn in accordance with this deviation amount in the primary transfer, while it is determined based on the contour shape of the transfer target such as a bar code, a magnetic stripe, or an OCR. Since the machine-scanned image is transferred with the holding position of the carried-in transfer target as a reference, even if the mark of the transfer target is shifted from the mark of the reference transfer target,
While the visual image is transferred to the displaced position, the mechanically read image is transferred to a predetermined position of the carried-in transferred body regardless of the deviation of the mark of the carried-in transferred body.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An image forming method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

First, an image state of the plastic card when properly transferred and when preprinting is deviated according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 shows a plan view of a plastic card according to an embodiment of the present invention. Reference numeral 1 is a visual image recording field, 2 is a machine-readable image recording field, and 3 is a plastic card as a transfer target.

The plastic card 3 shown in FIG. 1 is preprinted on the plastic card 3 itself before the primary transfer. The visual image recording field 1 includes a facial photograph transfer field 11, a character description field 12, and a position detection mark 1.
5 is pre-printed. The face photograph 13 is properly transferred to the face photograph column 11 of the plastic card 3 preprinted, and the character information is transferred to the character entry column 12 without displacement. The machine read image 16 is transferred.

FIG. 2 shows a plastic card in which the character image, which is a visual image, has not been corrected, and the visual image, which is preprinted, is displaced to the upper right from the proper position.
Therefore, the position detection mark 25 is displaced to the upper right as compared with the proper position 15, and the face photograph 23 is displayed at the lower left position of the face photograph column 21.
Is transferred, and the character information 24 is transferred to the lower left of the character recording field 22.

In FIG. 3, although the preprinting of the plastic card 3 has been corrected, the mechanically read image 36 is not corrected, and the mechanically read image 36 is displaced above the proper position. Due to the correction of the visual image, the position detection mark 35 is displaced upward from the proper position.
3 is properly transferred, and the character information 34 is properly described in the character description field 32.

The plastic card 3 shown in FIG. 4 is corrected and transferred by the image forming method of this embodiment, and the preprinting of the facial photograph column 41, the character recording column 42, etc. is performed at the upper right of the reference position (after the transfer position). ), The visual images such as the face photograph 43 and the character upper portion 44 are properly printed in the face photograph column 41 and the character recording column 42, and the machine read image 46 is appropriate from the lower edge of the plastic card 3. Have been transcribed into position.

Next, the image forming method of the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
The image recording system will be described.

The image recording apparatus 50 is adapted to convey a transfer film 52 as an intermediate transfer medium from a take-up reel 55 to a take-up reel 56. The stage 51 for loading the plastic card 3 can reciprocate from the position A for loading the plastic card 3 to the transfer end position C via the transfer start position B below the heat roller 54, and the heat roller 54 starts transfer. The plastic card 3 on the upper surface of the stage 51 located at the position B can be raised and lowered. The stage 51 is reciprocally conveyed by a screw rod or the like rotated by a step motor.

Above the carrying region of the stage 51, a sensor S1 for detecting the holding position of the plastic card 3 on the stage 51, a sensor S2 for detecting the mark 15 of the plastic card 3 on the stage 51, and a plastic card 3 are provided. A sensor S3 that detects the front end portion in the transport direction is provided.

Both ends of the shaft of the heat roller 54 are held by an arm, and the arm supporting the heat roller 54 moves up and down by rotating up and down. The step motor that drives the stage 5 and the actuator that drives the arm of the heat roller 54 are drive-controlled by a controller (not shown).

The transfer image transferred to the plastic card 3 by the heat roller 54 is transferred from the ink ribbon 61 to the transfer film 52 by heat generation control of the thermal head 53. The thermal head 53 can be moved toward and away from a drum 57 around which the transfer film 52 is wound, and the drum 57 rotates while the transfer film 52 is wound around and fixed by rollers 58 and 58.

While the transfer film 52 is fixed by the rollers 58, 58, the drum 57 reciprocally rotates at a constant angle in both the clockwise and counterclockwise directions to transfer the multicolor ink of the ink ribbon 61 to the transfer film 52. Transfer
Multicolor printing. The rollers 58, 58 are the thermal head 53.
The ink can be separated from the drum 57 after the ink transfer between the ink ribbon 61 and the ink ribbon 61, and the surface of the drum 57 is the transfer film 52.
Is smooth so that it can be moved.

Thermal head 53 and ink ribbon 61
The drum 57 moves after moving the portion of the transfer film 52 to be transferred to a portion facing the thermal head 53, and when the drum 57 rotates to return to the printing start angle during printing, after the printing is completed, the drum 57 Get away from. A sensor S3 for detecting the position of the transfer image printed on the transfer film 52 is provided on the upstream side of the position where the heat roller 54 heats and presses the plastic card 3. 5
Reference numerals 9, 65 and 66 denote guide rollers for the transfer film 52, and the transfer film 52 unwound from the unwind reel 55.
Is a guide roller 59, a drum 57, a guide roller 59,
After passing through 65, it reaches below the heat roller 54 and is wound around the take-up reel 56 through the guide rollers 65 and 66.

The image recording device 50 is provided with a pulse generator 76 which outputs a timing pulse at a constant frequency. The timing pulse output from the pulse generator 76 is
Visual image shift amount calculation unit 70, mechanical image shift amount calculation unit 7
1, primary transfer control unit 74, card front end position adequacy determination unit 77
Is output to The pulse generator 76 generates a timing pulse when the power switch of the image recording device 50 is turned on. On the plane of the plastic card 3, the stage 5
The direction in which 1 is conveyed is the X-axis direction, and the direction orthogonal to the X-axis is the Y-axis direction. Therefore, the longitudinal direction of the transfer film 52 is the X-axis direction, and the width direction of the transfer film 52 is the Y-axis direction.

The sensor S1 detects the displacement of the plastic card 3 on the stage 51 in the Y-axis direction, and irradiates the end of the plastic card 3 of the stage 51 in the Y-axis direction with light to detect the amount of reflected light. This is a sensor for detecting the displacement of the plastic card 3 in the Y-axis direction, and also detects the front end portion of the plastic card 3 held on the stage 51. The distance between the position A for loading the plastic card 3 onto the stage 51 and the sensor S1 is fixed.
The speed V at which the stage 51 moves from the card loading position A to the transfer end position C is fixed.

The output of the sensor S1 is connected to a front end position properness determination unit 77 of the car for outputting the elapsed time T after the conveyance of the stage 51, and a mechanical image for calculating the mechanical image shift amount in the Y-axis direction is output. It is output to the shift amount calculation unit 71, and is output to the visual image shift amount calculation unit 70 to measure the time Tc after the front edge of the plastic card 3 is detected.

The transfer target holding means 77 includes a stage 5
The card front end detection time T from the start of rotation of the step motor that rotates 1 to the detection of the front end of the plastic card 3 by the sensor S1 is compared with a limit value Tl. When the card front end detection time T exceeds the limit value Tl, the card front end position adequacy determination unit 77 outputs an abnormal holding position of the plastic card 3, stops the image recording device 50, and temporarily ends the operation.

The mechanical image shift amount calculation section 71 is provided with the stage 5
The shift in the Y axis direction of the plastic card 3 in 1 is calculated. That is, since the reader for reading the machine image data is applied to the plastic card 3 at a fixed position in the Y-axis direction from the end of the plastic card 3, when the machine image is printed, the plastic card 3 is moved in the Y-axis direction. The end may be used as a reference. Mechanical image shift amount calculation unit 71
Compares and subtracts the amount of light detected from the sensor S1 with the amount of light that is the target value, and calculates the amount of deviation in the Y-axis direction regarding the machine image based on the difference in the amount of light. The output of the mechanical image shift amount calculation unit 71 is output to the transfer format setting unit 75.

A sensor S2 is provided in the middle of the movement of the stage 51 to the transfer start position B. The sensor S2 is
Preprinted marks 25,3 on the plastic card 3
5, 45 are detected. The sensor S2 is an optical sensor that detects the amount of reflected light that is radiated and reflected.
Is moved to scan on the plastic card 3 in the X-axis direction. The sensor S2 reduces the reflected light amount when the mark 15 is detected, so the output is inverted and sent to the visual image shift amount calculation unit 70.

In the visual image shift amount calculating section 70, a timing pulse is sent from the pulse generating section 76, and the elapsed time Tc after the sensor S1 detects the front end of the card is measured,
The output from the sensor S2 measures the elapsed time Ts1 from the card front edge detection to the mark detection start time and the elapsed time Te1 from the mark detection end time. In addition, the visual image shift amount calculation unit 70 displays the reference value Tm for the mark 15 for which pre-printing is properly performed as shown in FIG.
Ts is set.

In the visual image shift amount calculation unit 70,
The visual image shift amount of the plastic card 3 is X-axis direction, Y
The principle of calculation in the axial direction is as follows.

For example, when the mark 35 is displaced upward as in the plastic card 3 of FIG. 3, the center position elapsed time Tm1 = the target value Tm, but the time difference ΔTi1 =, as shown in FIG. 5 (b). Ti-Ti1 occurs. Here, since the mark 25 is an isosceles right triangle, ΔTi / 2 · V
(Conveyance speed of the stage 51) is calculated as a deviation amount in the Y-axis direction. Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 5C, even if there is no shift in the Y-axis direction, if there is a shift in the X-axis direction, then Tm2 = (Ts2 + Te2) / 2, and -ΔTm2 = T
m-Tm2 (Tm <Tm2) -signed shift amount-
ΔTm2 · V is calculated. Furthermore, for example, FIG.
When the center position of the mark conforms to the reference, but is shifted downward, the time difference Ti3 becomes larger than the reference value Ti and −ΔTi3 = Ti−Ti3, so that the preprinting of the plastic card 3 becomes Y. It is calculated that there is a shift of -ΔTi3 · V below the axis. In addition, as shown in FIG.
When there is a shift to the upper side of the axis and a shift to the right of the X axis, the X axis component (-ΔTm4 · V) and the Y axis component (ΔT
i4 · V) can be easily calculated.

When the measured value Tm1 in the X-axis direction and the measured value Ti1 in the Y-axis direction are compared and subtracted with the reference values Tm and Ti, respectively, the deviation of the mark 15, that is, the preprinting of the plastic card 3 in the X-axis and Y-axis direction. The amount is calculated. The deviation amounts of these visual images in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction are sent from the visual image deviation amount calculation unit 70 to the transfer format control unit 75.

The transfer format setting unit 75 performs format correction of the primary transfer performed by the thermal head 53 based on the calculation results from the visual image displacement amount calculation unit 70 and the mechanical image displacement amount calculation unit 71. That is, as shown in FIG. 9A, the transfer image storage unit 7 is stored in the image memory 78 of the transfer format setting unit 75.
Visual image data Hd and machine read image data M from 3
Since d is read, the visual image data Hd and the machine read image data Md are moved based on the calculated displacement amount results of the visual image displacement amount calculation unit 70 and the mechanical image displacement amount calculation unit 71. For example, the visual image data Hd is calculated as P0, X in the Y-axis direction from the origin (0,0) according to the calculation result.
Correct the Tp / V / d position in the axial direction. Here, Tp is the difference between the reference time for the sensor S2 to detect the mark and the actual measurement time, V is the transport speed of the stage 51, and d is the heating element density of the thermal head 53.

The transfer format setting section 75 includes a transfer image storage section 7
The transfer image is taken out from the No. 3, arranged on the corrected format to create image data, and sent to the primary transfer control unit 74.
The primary transfer control unit 74 controls the heat generation of the thermal head 53 and the rotation angle control of the drum 57 based on this image data, and transfers the transfer image according to the deviation amount of the pre-printing and the deviation amount of the machine read image to the transfer film 52. Transfer to the transfer layer.

At the transfer position by the heat roller 54, when the transfer image composed of the visual image and the machine-read image transferred to the transfer film 52 is located at an appropriate position between the guide rollers 65, 65, A sensor S3 that stops the conveyance of the sheet is provided. Sensor S
When 3 detects the transfer image printed on the transfer film 52, the conveyance of the transfer film 52 is temporarily stopped. After the transfer film 52 is stopped from being conveyed, the heat roller 54 is heated and lowered to the stage 51 side to heat and pressurize the plastic card 3 and the transfer film 52, and the stage 5
1 is conveyed from the transfer start position B to the transfer end position C, and the transfer film 52 is conveyed together with the stage 51 from the transfer start position B to the transfer end position C side. Heat roller 5
When the transfer by 4 is completed, the heat roller 54 is raised, the transfer film 52 is conveyed again from the unwind reel 55 side to the take-up reel 56 side, and the stage 51 is sent from the transfer end position C to the card carry-in position A side. . At this time, the transfer film 52 is separated from the plastic card 3 by the guide roller 65, and the secondary transfer is completed. The plastic card 3 on which the secondary transfer is completed is taken out from the stage 51 after the stage 51 returns to the card loading position A.

In this image recording device 50, the operator checks the image in the transfer image storage section 73 on the TV monitor or the like to check the transfer between the plastic card 3 and the transfer image. It is fully conceivable that the identification of No. 3 and the collation with the transfer image to be transferred to the transfer film 52 are automatically performed.

Next, the flow of the visual image shift amount calculation will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9.

A limit value Tl of the time until the leading position of the plastic card 3 is detected is set in the cart front end position adequacy determining unit 77, and the elapsed time is initialized at the same time when the conveyance of the plastic card 3 is started (S. 1).
Next, after comparing the elapsed time T after initialization with the limit value Tl one by one (S.3), if the elapsed time T is smaller than the limit value Tl, it is determined whether the plastic card 3 is detected (S.4). ). If the plastic card 3 is not detected by the sensor S1 (S1), the numerical value 1 of the timing signal is added to the elapsed time T and T and Tl are compared again. If the elapsed time T becomes larger than the limit value Tl, it is determined that a medium setting error has occurred and error processing is performed (S.
5). When the sensor S1 detects the plastic card 3, it sends a signal to the visual image deviation amount calculation unit 70 to start measuring the elapsed time after detection of the card front edge, and at the detection time Tc of the medium head position, the process proceeds to detect the visual image. The time T to be set is set to 0 (S.6).

In the visual image shift amount calculating section 70, the elapsed time (T) until the sensor S2 after detecting the front end of the card detects the marks 25, 35, 45 is measured as a measured value (S.7). This elapsed time T is compared with the mark width detection limit time (Tb) (S.8), and if no mark is detected, step S. Loop before 7 and add time and compare again (S.8). If the front end of the mark is not detected within the detection limit time Tb (S.9), it is determined that the pre-printing is defective, and error processing is performed (S.10). When the mark front edge is detected within the limit time, the elapsed time (Ts1) from the card front edge detection to the mark front edge detection is stored (S.11), and the mark rear edge detection time (Te1) is started ( (See FIG. 10).

In the visual image shift amount calculating unit 70, the time elapsed until the mark trailing end is detected is calculated by adding (Ts1 + Tw) the mark front end detecting time (Ts1) and the mark width detection limit value (Tw). Is set as the limit time. The pulse number 1 of the timing signal is added to the front end detection time Ts1 (S.12), and the time obtained by the addition is compared with (Ts1 + Tw) one by one (S.13). Step S. If the detection time of the trailing edge of the mark exceeds the limit value (Ts1 + Tw) in S.13, S.S.
Return to step 10, perform error processing, and end. Step S.
When the trailing edge of the mark is detected within the limit time in 14, the detection time (Te1) of the trailing edge of the mark is set (S.15). Mark rear edge detection limit time (Ts1 + T
If the trailing edge of the mark is not detected in w), the process returns to step 12.

After setting the detection time of the trailing edge of the mark,
An image center position Tm1 in the X-axis direction and a width Ti1 in the X-axis direction of the detected visual image are calculated (S.16). An image center position reference value Tm and an X-axis direction width reference value Ti of the mark of the plastic card 3 that has been appropriately preprinted are preset in the visual image deviation amount calculation unit 70. S. When the image center position Tm1 and the width Ti1 in the X-axis direction are calculated in step 16, the difference adjustment time ΔTm and the width difference ΔTi are calculated by comparing and subtracting the reference values Tm and Ti, respectively (S.17).

As a result, when the preprint deviation adjustment time ΔTm is added to the reference time Tp for printing on the plastic card 3 for which preprinting is appropriate (S.18), the plastic card 3 on the stage 51 is The printing time Tp1 for pre-printing is calculated. Further, at the proper print position Po of the transferred image on the ink ribbon 52, ΔTi [s]
When V [s / mm] and d [mm] are added (S.19), the deviation of the printing position of the stage 51 on the plastic card 3 is eliminated. Here, V is the thermal head 53 at the time of printing
And d is the density (dots / mm) of the heating element of the thermal head 53.

When printing is performed by the thermal head 53, the peripheral speed of the surface of the drum 57 is made to match the conveying speed V of the stage 51. When the visual image of the plastic card 3 is at the proper position, the thermal head 53 prints when the drum 57 rotates by a predetermined angle.
When the visual image of the plastic card 3 is deviated in the X-axis direction, the printing start time of the thermal head 53 is corrected by the visual image deviating amount (S. 21, S. 22,
S. 23). The deviation of the visual image of the plastic card 3 in the Y-axis direction is corrected by the correction of the arrangement direction of the heating elements of the thermal head 53.

In the case of multicolor printing, after the above correction (S.21, S.22, S.23), after initialization of the number of heating element lines (S.24), the number of printing lines L 1 is added to (S.25) to print one line. Since the print contents are different for each print line, the data for one line is read (S.261) and the correction in the Y-axis direction is performed. In this case, the regular dot position is (a, b), and the shift amount is (+ Δ
X, + ΔY), the deviation in the + direction of the X axis and Y axis is added. Note that FIGS. 11 and 12 show the correction of this deviation. If the shift amount is (−ΔX, −Y), the X axis and the Y axis are −
The deviation amount in the direction is subtracted (S.262). These corrections are sent from the transfer format control unit 75 to the primary transfer control unit 74 (S.263), and printing is performed by the thermal head 53 (S.265). When the printing of one line is completed by the thermal head 53 (S.266), the step S. Move to 27.

Step S. 27 until the number of print lines transferred in step 27 reaches a predetermined value.
25 and subroutine step S.25. 260 to step S.I. The printing of 265 is repeated. Step S. When the number of lines printed in 27 reaches the predetermined number of lines of the transferred image, step S. Return to step S.24. 24 to step S. Printing of the next color is performed after 27 steps. When the number of printed colors reaches the number of colors forming the transfer image (for example, yellow, magenta, cyan, black) (S.28), the transfer of ink from the ink ribbon 61 to the transfer film 52 by the thermal head 53. To finish. As a result, a transfer image is printed on the transfer film 52. The process after the transfer of the transfer image to the transfer film 52 is as described above.

[0050]

According to the image forming method of the first aspect of the present invention, when the mark on the transferred material to be transferred and the mark on the reference transferred material are displaced in the X-axis and Y-axis directions, this displacement is detected. Is detected only by scanning in the X-axis direction, and a visual image is drawn according to this deviation amount in the primary transfer, while it is based on the contour shape of the transfer target such as a bar code, magnetic stripe, or OCR. Since the determined machine-read image is transferred with the holding position of the carried-in transfer target as a reference, even if the mark of the transfer target is shifted from the mark of the reference transfer target,
While the visual image is transferred to the displaced position, the mechanically read image is transferred to a predetermined position of the carried-in transferred body regardless of the deviation of the mark of the carried-in transferred body.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a plastic card according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the plastic card of FIG. 1 in which the visual image is displaced from the pre-printed state.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a state in which a machine-read image of the plastic card shown in FIG. 1 is displaced from a reference position.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a state in which a visual image and a machine-readable image are properly transferred to a plastic card in which preprinting is displaced from a reference position.

5A is a diagram showing a difference between a detection start time and a detection end time and a center position when a preprint mark is at an appropriate position, and FIG. 5B is a preprint mark above the proper position. Fig. 6 (c) shows that the pre-print mark is displaced from the proper position, and (d) shows that the pre-print mark is displaced before and below the proper position. Figure, (e) shows that the pre-printed mark is displaced to the rear and above the proper position.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an image recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention.

7 is a flowchart showing a visual image shift amount detection process of the image recording apparatus of FIG. 6 of the present invention.

8 is a flowchart showing a process of calculating a deviation correction amount after detecting the visual image deviation amount in FIG. 7.

9 is a flowchart showing a process of correcting a deviation amount by a thermal head of the image recording apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 10 is a waveform diagram illustrating the relationship between the output waveform of the sensor S2 when the front edge of the plastic card is detected and the mark is at the proper position in the visual image shift amount calculation unit 70, and the output waveform of the sensor S2 when actually measured.

FIG. 11 is a plan view of a reference plastic card 3 in which pre-printing is drawn in an appropriate position.

FIG. 12 is a plan view of an actual plastic card 3 in which pre-printing is shifted in the X-axis and Y-axis directions.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Visual Image 2 Machine Read Image 3 Plastic Card (Transfer Material) 15, 25, 35, 45 Preprinted Mark 50 Image Recording Device 51 Stage 52 Transfer Film (Intermediate Transfer Medium) 53 Thermal Head 54 Heat Roller 55 Unwinding Reel 56 Take-up reel 57 Drum 58 Fixed roll 61 Ink ribbon 70 Ink image deviation amount calculation unit 71 Mechanical image deviation amount calculation unit 73 Transfer image storage unit 74 Primary transfer control unit 75 Transfer format setting unit 76 Pulse generation unit 77 Cart front end position Proper judgment section S1 Sensor for detecting front edge of plastic card S2 Sensor for visual image detection S3 Sensor for detecting transfer image position on transfer film

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A machine-readable image that is visually recognizable by a machine and a machine-readable image that is visually recognized in a primary transfer by holding a transfer target object in a fixed posture by setting a perpendicular coordinate axis on a stage whose transport direction is the X axis. A transfer image consisting of and is drawn on an intermediate transfer medium, and in the secondary transfer, the intermediate transfer medium is conveyed from the X-axis direction onto the transfer target, and the transfer from the intermediate transfer medium to the transfer target is performed. An image forming method for transferring an image, wherein a mark indicating the position of the pre-printing is drawn on the transferred body on which pre-printing for transferring the visual image to a predetermined position is drawn in advance before the primary transfer. , The mark has a shape in which the detection component in the Y-axis direction changes simultaneously with the change in the detection component in the X-axis direction, and a sensor for detecting the mark by scanning in the X-axis direction is arranged above the stage. Setting , Using the mark of the transferred material drawn at the proper position in the pre-printing as a reference mark and the physical quantity thereof as a reference value, scanning the sensor in the X-axis direction with respect to the transferred material carried into the stage, The detected mark and the reference mark are compared with the respective physical quantities to obtain the deviation amount of the pre-printing of the transferred object, and in the primary transfer, the visual image is drawn based on the deviation amount, while A machine-read image is drawn with reference to the holding position of the transfer target on the stage, and in the secondary transfer,
An image forming method comprising: transferring the transfer image including the displacement amount with reference to a holding position of a transfer target carried on a stage. 2. A machine-readable image that is visually recognizable by a machine and a machine-readable image that is visually recognized in the primary transfer by holding a transfer target object in a fixed posture by setting a perpendicular coordinate axis on a stage whose transfer direction is the X axis. A transfer image consisting of and is drawn on an intermediate transfer medium, and in the secondary transfer, the intermediate transfer medium is conveyed from the X-axis direction onto the transfer target, and the transfer from the intermediate transfer medium to the transfer target is performed. An image forming system for transferring an image, wherein a mark indicating the position of the pre-printing is drawn on the transferred body on which pre-printing for transferring the visual image to a predetermined position is drawn on before the primary transfer. At the same time, this mark has a shape in which the detection component in the Y-axis direction changes simultaneously with the change in the detection component in the X-axis direction, and the mark is scanned above the stage in the X-axis direction to scan the mark. A sensor to be known is provided, and the mark of the transferred object on which the preprint is drawn at an appropriate position is used as a reference mark to hold the physical quantity as a reference value, and the sensor for the transferred object carried into the stage is held. And a visual image shift amount calculation unit for obtaining a shift amount of pre-printing of the transferred material by comparing the detected mark and the reference mark with each physical amount when scanning in the X-axis direction. In the primary transfer, the visual image is drawn based on the shift amount calculated by the visual image shift amount detecting unit, while the mechanically read image is drawn with the holding position of the transfer target on the stage as a reference. In the transfer, an image forming system characterized in that the transfer image including the displacement amount is transferred with reference to a holding position of a transfer target carried on a stage.