JPH11240219A - Ink sheet cassette and thermal transfer printer - Google Patents

Abstract

[PROBLEMS] To provide an ink sheet cassette and a thermal transfer printer that can determine the type of ink sheet cassette and the status of ink sheets with a simple configuration using a single sensor. The ink sheet cassette includes an ink sheet in which a plurality of color ink regions are sequentially and periodically arranged, and an ink sheet cassette provided with a plurality of light reflecting portions that reflect light at positions overlapping the stored ink sheet. While wearing it,
Recording means for selectively heating the ink sheet to transfer ink to a transfer material; and a photosensor for irradiating a plurality of light reflecting portions of an ink sheet cassette mounted on the mounting means with light and receiving the reflected light And a determination means for determining the status of the ink sheet cassette and the ink sheet in accordance with a signal from the photo sensor to constitute a thermal transfer printer.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention makes it possible to determine the type of an ink sheet cassette for accommodating ink sheets in which a plurality of color ink areas are sequentially and periodically arranged, the boundaries of the color areas of the ink sheets, and the like. The present invention relates to an ink sheet cassette and a thermal transfer printer that forms a color image using the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A color thermal transfer printer uses an ink sheet in which a plurality of color ink areas are sequentially and periodically arranged, and obtains a color image by sequentially superimposing and transferring the respective color inks. If the lengths and recording characteristics are different, ink sheets having different lengths, γ characteristics, etc. of the respective color portions are required in accordance with the transfer material. For this purpose, it is necessary to reliably identify whether or not the ink sheet cassette containing the ink sheet having the above-mentioned recording characteristics is mounted on the apparatus main body.

[0003] Further, since the ink sheet becomes unusable in one recording and cannot be used repeatedly, the ink area of each color is made approximately the same size as the recording area due to cost.
Therefore, it is necessary to accurately recognize the head of each color area and to detect the end of the ink sheet.

For this purpose, conventionally, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-28
In the technique according to No. 8682, the determination of the type of the ink sheet cassette and the detection of the end of the ink sheet are performed by one sensor. Also, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-1903
In the technique according to No. 81, the head and the end of each color area of each color ink sheet are detected by one sensor.

[0005]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, it is impossible to determine the type of the ink sheet cassette and to detect the boundary and the end of the color area of the ink sheet by one sensor. Had to be performed in combination. As a result, the configuration becomes complicated, resulting in an obstacle to cost reduction.

[0006] The present invention is to solve the above problems,
An object of the present invention is to provide an ink sheet cassette and a thermal transfer printer that can determine the type of ink sheet cassette and the status of ink sheets with a simple configuration using a single sensor.

[0007]

A typical configuration according to the present invention for achieving the above object is to provide an ink sheet cassette for storing an ink sheet in which a plurality of color ink areas are sequentially and periodically arranged. A plurality of light reflecting portions for reflecting light are provided at positions overlapping with the ink sheet to be formed.

In addition, an ink sheet cassette is provided which stores an ink sheet in which a plurality of color ink areas are sequentially and periodically arranged, and is provided with a plurality of light reflecting portions for reflecting light at positions overlapping the stored ink sheets. A recording unit for selectively heating the ink sheet to transfer ink to a transfer material in a state where the ink sheet is mounted, and irradiating a plurality of light reflecting portions of an ink sheet cassette mounted on the mounting unit with light, A thermal transfer printer is provided with a photosensor for receiving light, and a determination unit for determining the status of the ink sheet cassette and the ink sheet in accordance with a signal from the photosensor.

In the above configuration, a plurality of light reflecting portions of the ink sheet cassette mounted on the main body of the apparatus are irradiated with light, and a plurality of signals are discriminated from the reflected light, so that the ink sheet is detected by one sensor. It is possible to detect the type of cassette, the leading end of the color area of the ink sheet, and the end of the ink sheet.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, an embodiment of an ink sheet cassette and a thermal transfer printer according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is an explanatory cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a main part of the thermal transfer printer, FIG. 2 is an explanatory plan view of an ink sheet cassette, and FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a color region of an ink sheet. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a signal for determining the type of the ink sheet cassette and the like.
Is an explanatory diagram of a detection level of a color region, FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a control circuit for binarizing a detection signal, and FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a signal level for detecting a head of the color region.

First, the overall configuration of the ink sheet cassette and the thermal transfer printer will be described, and then the type of the ink sheet cassette, the color area of the ink sheet, and the configuration for detecting the end of the ink sheet will be described.

{Overall Configuration} As shown in FIG. 1, a thermal transfer printer A according to the present embodiment mounts an ink sheet cassette B containing ink sheets 1 to perform thermal transfer recording.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ink sheet cassette B has an ink sheet 1 in which a heat sublimable or heat-meltable ink is applied in a cassette case 2 from a supply reel 3 to a take-up reel 4. An opening 5 for exposing the ink sheet 1 between the supply reel 3 and the take-up reel 4 is formed.

As shown in FIG. 3, the ink sheet 1 is sequentially and periodically coated with three color inks of yellow Y, magenta M, and cyan C. 3), or as shown in FIG. 3 (b), it is demarcated by a boundary portion composed of an overlapping portion 1b in which inks of adjacent color regions are overlapped. When the three colors are set as one set, the head of the ink area, that is, the head border of the yellow ink area is formed wider than the head border of the other color (magenta, cyan) areas. At the end of the ink sheet 1, a black region 1c is provided over a predetermined length.

The ink sheet 1 is located at a position corresponding to the opening 5 of the cassette case 2 on the supply reel 3 side.
A plurality of light reflecting portions 6 that reflect light are provided at positions that overlap with the transport region. In the present embodiment, two reflecting portions, that is, a first reflecting portion 6a and a second reflecting portion 6b, which are formed by attaching aluminum foil or the like, are arranged side by side in the ink sheet width direction.

The light reflecting portion 6 is irradiated with light from a photo sensor 7 provided in the apparatus main body as described later, and the type of the ink sheet cassette, the color area of the ink sheet, and the end of the ink sheet can be detected by the reflected light. It has become.

The thermal transfer printer A has a mounting portion (not shown) to which the ink sheet cassette B can be attached and detached, and as shown in FIG. 9 is conveyed to a recording unit by a pair of conveying rollers 8, where the yellow ink region of the ink sheet 1 is first cueed and the yellow ink is thermally transferred in the recording unit to form a yellow image. Next, the transfer material 9 is returned by the conveying roller pair 8, and the magenta ink area of the ink sheet 1 is caught to form a magenta image. Similarly, a cyan image is formed to form a color image. Thereafter, the transfer material 9 is discharged to a tray (not shown) by the discharge roller pair 10.

The recording means for performing the recording includes a platen roller 11 which supports and conveys the transfer material 9, a recording head which brings the ink sheet 1 into close contact with the transfer material 9, and heats the ink sheet 1 in accordance with an image signal. Consists of 12, recording head 12
Is the arrow a in FIG. 1 when the ink sheet cassette B is mounted.
It is configured to be retractable in the direction.

A plurality of light-reflective photosensors 7 are mounted on the mounting table 13 of the recording head 12 at positions opposed to the light reflecting portion 6 of the ink sheet cassette B with the ink sheet 1 interposed therebetween. ing. In the present embodiment, the first sensor 7a that detects the reflected light from the first reflecting unit 6a
And two photosensors of a second sensor 7b for detecting the reflected light from the second reflecting portion 6b. Further, since the photosensor 7 is mounted on the mounting base 13, the electric circuit is not separated from the apparatus main body.

{Detection Configuration of Ink Sheet Cassette Type and the Like} In the thermal transfer printer A of the present embodiment, the type of the ink sheet cassette B mounted according to the signal from the photo sensor 7, the color area of the ink sheet 1, It is possible to detect the front end of the color area and the end of the ink sheet. Next, the configuration for that will be described.

(Detection of Type of Ink Sheet Cassette) Although the amount of light transmission of the ink sheet 1 differs depending on the colors of yellow, magenta, and cyan, light is transmitted through any region. Is reflected by the light reflecting portion 6 and detected by the photo sensor 7. Further, since two light reflecting portions 6 and two photo sensors 7 are provided, the on / off state of the first sensor 7a and the second sensor 7b is combined as shown in FIG. Can be determined. Therefore, according to the type of the stored ink sheet 1, by combining the two light reflecting portions 6 into a light reflecting state and a light non-reflecting state as shown in FIG. Ink sheet cassette B according to type
Can be determined by the photo sensor 7. Specifically, when the ink sheet cassette B is not mounted, naturally, there is no light reflection from the first reflector 6a and the second reflector 6b. Therefore, when the number of the light reflecting portions 6 is two, it is possible to determine the three types of the ink sheet cassettes B in addition to the case where the ink sheet cassettes B are not mounted.

The number of the light reflecting portions 6 does not need to be limited to two as described above. For example, when three light reflecting portions are provided, eight kinds of determinations can be made. In addition to the case where the cassette B is not mounted, seven types of ink sheet cassettes B can be determined.

(Detection of Color of Ink Sheet) In the apparatus according to the present embodiment, the color area of the ink sheet 1 can be determined by the signal from the photo sensor 7 simultaneously with the type determination of the ink sheet 1. I have. That is, since the ink sheet 1 is interposed between the light reflection unit 6 and the photo sensor 7, light reaches the photo sensor 7 by reciprocating through the ink sheet 1. Accordingly, the amount of light reaching the photosensor 7 changes according to the color area of the ink sheet 1, and different output voltages are obtained depending on the color area as shown in FIG. By binarizing the output voltage by a control circuit as shown in FIG. 6, a color area can be determined.

More specifically, the output voltage from the photo sensor 7 is amplified by the buffer amplifier 14 and the amplified
By performing binarization according to each color by comparing with a reference threshold voltage Vth corresponding to the color, the determination unit determines the color area based on the output from the photosensor 7.

In this embodiment, when the ink sheet cassette B is mounted, at least one of the two light reflecting portions 6 always receives the light transmitted through the ink sheet 1. Therefore, the color area of the ink sheet 1 can be determined by the reflected light.

(Detection of Head and End of Color Area of Ink Sheet) The apparatus according to the present embodiment is also capable of detecting the head and end of the color area of the ink sheet 1 based on a signal from the photosensor 7. Has become.

As described above, the boundaries between the respective color regions of the ink sheet 1 are formed by the black portions 1a or the overlap portions 1b. Therefore, when the photosensor 7 does not detect the reflected light in the case of the black portion 1a, and when the color is detected in the case of the overlap portion 1b, it can be detected that the boundary is the color region. Since the boundary (the head of the color area) of the yellow ink area, which is the first color when forming a color image, is formed wider than the other boundary areas, When the sensor 7 detects the boundary of the ink sheet 1 being sent from the supply reel 3 to the take-up reel 4 during image formation, as shown in FIG. 7, the boundary Sy is wider than the other boundary Smc. Is detected, the head of the three-color ink area can be detected.

The end of the ink sheet 1 is located at the black area 1
If the photosensor 7 detects the black area for a certain period of time or more since the c is continued, it is determined that the ink sheet 1 is at the end. Note that the end of the ink sheet 1 does not need to be provided with the black area 1c, and the ink sheet 1 to be conveyed is not required.
On the other hand, when the photo sensor 7 does not detect the black portion 1a or the overlap portion 1b for a certain period of time or more, it is also possible to determine that the ink sheet 1 is at the end. Furthermore,
If a bar code portion indicating the remaining amount of the sheet or the like is printed at the end of the sheet, the information can be read by the photo sensor 7.

When the ink sheet cassette B is mounted, the position of the photosensor 7 may coincide with the black portion 1a or the overlap portion 1b, which is the boundary of the ink area. Therefore, when determining the type of the ink sheet cassette B, it is preferable to determine the type of the cassette while feeding the ink sheet 1 slightly.

In the above description, the signal from the photosensor 7 is binarized via the comparator 15. However, the analog voltage from the photosensor 7 is digitized by an A / D converter, and the digital signal is converted. If the discrimination is made accurately, the discrimination can be made more accurately and instantly as compared with a preset level.

[0031]

The present invention is constructed as described above.
By irradiating a plurality of light reflecting portions of the ink sheet cassette mounted on the apparatus main body with light and discriminating a plurality of kinds of signals from the reflected light, a sensor at one place can be used to determine the type of the ink sheet cassette and the color area of the ink sheet. It is possible to detect the leading end and further the end of the ink sheet.

As a result, the number of parts can be reduced, the configuration can be simplified, and the cost can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory cross-sectional view illustrating a main configuration of a thermal transfer printer.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory plan view of an ink sheet cassette.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a color area of an ink sheet.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a signal for determining a type or the like of an ink sheet cassette;

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a detection level of a color area.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a control circuit for binarizing a detection signal.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a signal level for detecting a head of a color area.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A ... thermal transfer printer B ... ink sheet cassette 1 ... ink sheet 1a ... black part 1b ... overlap part 1c ... black area 2 ... cassette case 3 ... supply reel 4 ... take-up reel 5 ... opening 6 ... light reflection part 6a ... One reflection part 6b ... Second reflection part 7 ... Photosensor 7a ... First sensor 7b ... Second sensor 8 ... Transport roller pair 9 ... Transfer material 10 ... Discharge roller pair 11 ... Platen roller 12 ... Recording head 13 ... Mounting table 14 … Buffer amplifier 15… comparator

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Shinya Hirai 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Takanobu Shiraiwa 3- 30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inside the corporation

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An ink sheet cassette for storing ink sheets in which a plurality of color ink areas are sequentially and periodically arranged, wherein a plurality of light reflecting portions for reflecting light are provided at positions overlapping with the stored ink sheets. An ink sheet cassette characterized in that: 2. An ink sheet cassette which stores ink sheets in which a plurality of color ink areas are sequentially and periodically arranged, and includes a plurality of light reflecting portions for reflecting light at positions overlapping the stored ink sheets. With the attached
A recording unit that selectively heats the ink sheet to transfer ink to a transfer material; a photosensor that irradiates a plurality of light reflecting portions of the attached ink sheet cassette with light and receives the reflected light; A determination unit configured to determine the status of the ink sheet cassette and the ink sheet in response to a signal from a photo sensor. 3. The ink sheet cassette according to claim 2, wherein the discriminating means discriminates a type of the ink sheet cassette, a color area of the ink sheet, a boundary of the color area of the ink sheet, and an end portion of the ink sheet. Thermal transfer printer.