JPS63280663A - image recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable high speed recording by providing a recording part of a heating means to give thermal energy to a thermal transfer recording medium installed along a transport path for the thermal transfer recording media and a means to apply light energy to the transfer recording medium. CONSTITUTION:When a roller 6 is rotated, one sheet of recording paper 11 is fed from a cassette 12, and the tip of the recording paper 11 is detected by a registration sensor, a transfer roller 10 is actuated at a prearranged timing to carry a transfer recording medium 1. At the same time, each heat generating element 2a of a thermal head 2 is energized in response to an image signal. In addition, while the thermal head 2 is energized, at least, a fluorescent lamp 3 is turned on. That is, heat from the thermal head 2 is applied to a recording layer 1a after being conducted through a support 1b, and light from the fluorescent lamp 3 is directly given to the recording layer 1a. Consequently, transfer images are sequentially formed in accordance with image signals per single line in the transfer recording medium 1 to be transferred. This light projection from the fluorescent lamp allows a rapid reaction of the transfer recording layer and at the same time, a quick acceleration of hardening thereof.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Use of the Invention] The present invention relates to an image recording device that can be applied to printers, copying machines, electronic typewriters, facsimile machines, and the like.

[Prior art]

In recent years, with the rapid development of the information industry, various information processing systems have been developed, and recording methods and devices suitable for each information processing system have also been developed and adopted. One such recording method is the thermal transfer recording method, which uses a lightweight, compact, and noiseless device.
It has excellent operability and maintainability, and has been widely used recently.

This thermal transfer recording method generally uses a thermal transfer medium formed by coating a sheet-like support with thermal transferable ink made of a heat-melting binder and a coloring agent dispersed therein. The ink layer is superimposed on the transfer medium so that it is in contact with the transfer medium, and heat is supplied from the support side of the thermal transfer medium by a thermal head to transfer the melted ink layer to the transfer medium. A transfer ink image is formed thereon in accordance with the shape of heat supply.

According to this method, plain paper can be used as the transfer medium.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

However, conventional thermal transfer recording methods are not without problems. The reason is that in conventional thermal transfer recording methods, the transfer recording performance, that is, the print quality, is greatly affected by the surface smoothness of the transfer medium. In the case of a transfer medium, the image recording quality may deteriorate.

In addition, when trying to obtain multicolor images with a conventional thermal transfer recording device, it is necessary to install multiple thermal heads or to make the transfer recording medium or transfer medium perform complicated functions such as reverse feeding and stopping. First, there are problems such as the entire device being bulky (complicated) and the recording speed decreasing.

[Means for solving problems]

Therefore, the present applicant has invented an image recording method and a transfer recording medium that can solve the problems of the conventional devices and record high-quality images even on transfer media with low surface smoothness. The applicant has also invented an image recording method and a transfer recording medium that can obtain multicolor images without making complicated movements on the transfer medium. The applicant has filed these inventions in Japanese Patent Application No. 60-120080 ('8
5.6.3 application), Japanese Patent Application No. 120081/1981 ('
85.6.3), Japanese Patent Application No. 131411/1985 ('
Patent Application No. 134831/1985 (filed on June 20, 1985), Patent Application No. 15059/1985
No. 7 (filed on July 9, 1985), patent application 1986-1999
No. 26 (filed on September 10, 1985), and patent application 1986-
No. 250884 (filed on November 11, 1985), filed in Japan. Furthermore, based on these Japanese applications, the US application (application number 869
, 689 ('86.6.2 U.S. application) and European application (application number 86107540.6 ('86.6.2).
6.3 application) was filed.

The present invention described below is a further development of the aforementioned inventions for which the applicant filed applications in Japan, the United States, and Europe. The image recording method and transfer recording medium disclosed in the specifications of each of the above-mentioned applications can be appropriately applied to the present invention described below.

An object of the present invention, which will be described below, is to provide an image recording apparatus that can form a high-quality image even on a transfer medium with a low surface smoothness (for example, plain paper).

Another object of the present invention is to provide an image recording device that can form clear images.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an image recording device capable of high-speed recording.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an image recording apparatus capable of halftone recording.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an image recording apparatus that can obtain multicolor recorded images without making complicated movements of the transfer recording medium or the transfer medium.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an image recording apparatus that can use tension to press a transfer recording medium against a thermal head, etc., without using a platen or the like to press the transfer recording medium against a thermal head, as in the conventional case. The goal is to provide the following.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an image recording apparatus that can form an image on a transfer recording medium and transfer the image to a recording medium in separate steps.

Embodiments of an image recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings. As mentioned above, it goes without saying that the image recording method and transfer recording medium disclosed in the specifications of each of the aforementioned applications can be applied as appropriate to the embodiments of the present invention described below.

Furthermore, in the image recording apparatus according to the present invention, the transferred image is
It is formed by changing the physical properties that govern transfer characteristics. These physical properties are appropriately windowed depending on the type of transfer recording medium used. For example, in the case of a transfer recording medium in which the transferred image is transferred in a thermally molten state, the physical properties are determined by the melting temperature, softening temperature, glass transition point, etc. be. Further, in the case of a transfer recording medium in which the transferred image is transferred in an adhesive state or in a permeable state to the transfer medium, the viscosity is the same at the same temperature. In addition, the multiple types of energy used to form a transferred image can be adjusted as appropriate depending on the type of transfer recording medium used. For example, photoelectron beams, heat, pressure, etc. can be used in appropriate combinations. .

First, an image forming method applied to the image recording apparatus according to the present invention will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1a to 1d. 1st
The time axes (horizontal axes) correspond to the graphs in Figures a to 1d, respectively. Further, the transfer recording layer contains a reaction initiator, a polymerization component, etc., which will be described later, as sensitive components. FIG. 1a shows the rise in the surface temperature of the heating element and the subsequent temperature drop when the heating means such as a thermal head is driven to develop heat from time 0 to t3.

The transfer recording medium that is in pressure contact with the heating means exhibits a temperature change as shown in FIG. 1b as the temperature of the heating means changes. That is, the temperature rises with a time delay of tl, reaches the maximum temperature at time t4, which is also delayed from t3, and then decreases. This transfer recording layer has a softening temperature Ts, and Ts
In the above temperature range, it suddenly softens and its viscosity decreases. This situation is shown by curve A in FIG. 1c. After reaching Ts at time t2, the viscosity continues to decrease until time T4, when the maximum temperature is reached, and as the temperature decreases, the viscosity increases again and drops to Ts at time t.
The viscosity shows a rapid increase up to 6. In this case, the physical properties of the transfer recording layer are basically unchanged from before heating, and when heated to a temperature Ts or higher in the next transfer step, the viscosity decreases in the same manner as described above. Therefore, if the transfer recording layer is brought into pressure contact with the transfer medium and heated to the temperature necessary for transfer, for example, above Ts, the transfer recording layer will be transferred for the same reason as the transfer mechanism of conventional thermal transfer recording. As shown in Fig. 1d, when the transfer recording layer is heated and irradiated with light at the same time as time t2, the transfer recording layer is softened and, for example, a reaction initiator contained in the transfer recording layer is activated, and the temperature increases the reaction rate. (If the temperature rises sufficiently to 1st
It exhibits the behavior shown in curve B in figure c. As the reaction progresses, the softening temperature rises, and at time t6 when the reaction ends, T
s to Ts'. Along with this, the transfer start temperature, which is the temperature at which the transfer recording layer starts transferring, also changes. This situation is shown in Figure 1d. Therefore, when heated in the next transfer step, there will be a difference in properties between the part that has changed to Ts' and the part that has not changed. Therefore, for example, Ts<Tr<
If the Tr that satisfies Ts' is heated, there will be a difference between a portion where the viscosity has decreased and a portion where the viscosity has not decreased, and only the portion where the viscosity has decreased will be transferred to the transfer medium. Although it depends on the temperature stability accuracy of the transfer process, Ts' - Ts is approximately 208C at this time.
The above is preferable. In this way, a transfer image can be formed by controlling heating or non-heating according to the image signal and simultaneously irradiating light.

In addition to the softening temperature explained above, the physical properties that govern the transfer characteristics of the transfer recording layer include melting temperature, glass transition point, etc.; in any case, the melting temperature before and after applying multiple types of energy, A latent image is formed in the transfer recording layer by utilizing irreversible changes such as the glass transition point. In addition, the softening point, melting temperature, and glass transition point fluctuate in almost the same manner, so the above explanation using the softening point is also an explanation using the melting temperature and the glass transition point (in the case of the glass transition point) (indicated by 0 in Figures 1b and 1d).

This image forming method can of course be applied to monochrome image formation, but first, a multicolor image forming method will be explained with reference to the above explanation. 2a to 2d are partial views showing the relationship between the multicolor transfer recording medium and the thermal head. Thermal energy modulated according to the image recording signal is applied together with light energy of a wavelength selected according to the color tone of the image forming element whose physical properties governing the transfer characteristics are desired to be changed. Note that "modulation" here refers to changing the position where energy is applied according to the image signal, and "together" may mean applying light energy and thermal energy at the same time, or may be provided separately.

Further, in this example, in order to improve the light irradiation efficiency, light energy is applied from the transfer recording layer side of the transfer recording medium.

In the figure, a multicolor transfer recording medium 1 includes a base film l.
A transfer recording layer 1a is provided on top of the transfer recording layer 1a. The transfer recording layer 1a is a layer in which minute image forming elements 31 are distributed, and each image forming element 31 exhibits a different color tone. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2a-2c, each image forming material 31 is cyan (C).

It contains one of magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K) coloring materials. However, the coloring material contained in each image forming element 31 is not limited to cyan, magenta, yellow, and black (any coloring material may be used depending on the purpose. In addition to the coloring material, the image forming element 31 contains a sensitive component whose physical properties governing transfer characteristics change rapidly when light and heat energy are applied. Material 1b
A binder may be provided on top, or it may be melted by heating.

The sensitive component of each image forming element 31 has wavelength dependence depending on the coloring material it contains. That is, when the image forming element 31 containing the yellow coloring material is exposed to heat and light having the wavelength λ(Y), crosslinking rapidly progresses and the image forming element 31 is cured. Similarly, the image forming element 31 containing the magenta coloring material is exposed to heat and the wavelength λ
Image forming element 31 containing light (M) and cyan coloring material
When heat and light with a wavelength λ(C) are applied to the image forming element 31, and the image forming element 31 containing a black coloring material receives heat and light with a wavelength λ(K), the reaction progresses and the image forming element 31 is cured. Even when the cured image forming element 31 is heated in the next transfer step, the viscosity does not decrease and the image forming element 31 is not transferred to the transfer medium. Here, heat and light are applied depending on the recorded information.

Now, in this multicolor image forming method, the transfer recording medium 1 is placed on the thermal head 2, and light is irradiated so as to cover the entire heat generating part of the thermal head 2. The irradiated light has a wavelength that the image forming element body 31 reacts to, and is sequentially irradiated. For example, when the image forming element 31 is colored cyan, magenta, yellow, or black, light of wavelengths λ(C), λ(M), λ(Y), and λ(K) are sequentially emitted. irradiate.

That is, first, light of wavelength λ(Y) is irradiated onto the recording layer 1a from the transfer recording layer 1a side of the transfer recording medium 1, and the heating resistors 2b and 2d of the thermal head 2, for example.

2e and 2f generate heat. Then, among the image forming elements 31 containing the yellow coloring material, the image forming elements 31 to which both heat and λ(Y) light are applied (the hatched part in FIG. 2a; hereinafter, The cured image forming element (indicated by hatching) is cured.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2b, the transfer recording layer 1a is coated with a wavelength λ(
M) while irradiating the heat generating resistor 2a.

When 2e and 2f generate heat, among the image forming elements 31 containing magenta coloring material, the image forming element 31 to which heat and light of wavelength λ(M) have been applied is cured. Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 2C and 2d, light of wavelength λ(C), λ(K)
When the desired heating resistor is heated while being irradiated with light, the image forming element 31 to which the light and heat have been applied is cured.
Finally, a transferred image (latent image) is formed on the transfer recording layer 1 by the image forming element 31 that has not been cured. This transferred image is transferred to the recording paper 11 in the next transfer process as shown in FIG. 2e.

In the transfer process, the transfer recording medium on which the transferred image has been formed is brought into contact with the transfer medium, and heat is applied from the transfer recording medium or the transfer medium side to selectively transfer the transfer image to the transfer medium and convert it into image information. form an image accordingly.

Therefore, the heating temperature at this time is determined so that only the transferred image is selectively transferred with respect to the physical properties that govern the transfer characteristics. Further, in order to perform the transfer efficiently, it is also effective to apply pressure at the same time. Pressure is particularly effective when using a transfer medium with low surface smoothness. Furthermore, if the physical property that governs the transfer characteristics is the viscosity at room temperature, transfer is possible only by applying pressure.

In addition, in the embodiment described above in FIGS. 2a to 2d, a method was shown in which an image is formed by irradiating the entire area of the thermal head with light and selectively generating heat in the heating resistor of the thermal head. Multicolor printing can also be achieved by uniformly heating a certain part of the recording medium (in the case of the thermal head shown in Figure 2a, all heating resistors are heated) and selectively irradiating the recording medium with light. Images can be formed. That is, light energy of a wavelength that is modulated according to the recording signal and that is selected depending on the color tone of the image forming element whose physical properties governing the transfer characteristics are desired to be changed is applied together with thermal energy.

Next, an example of a monochrome image forming apparatus to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIG. The transfer recording medium 1 used in the apparatus of this embodiment has an image forming element 31 composed of the components shown in Table 1 below dispersed in a binder, and is spread on a base material 1b made of a polyester film with a thickness of 6 μm. It was established.

The sensitizer in this image forming element absorbs light in a band of 500 to 5 QOnm and initiates a reaction. In addition, as the material of the base material 1b, in addition to polyester film, condenser paper, glassine paper, etc. can be considered.

Moreover, since this sensitizer has a magenta tinge, it mixes with phthalocyanine green mixed as a coloring agent, and becomes black during image formation. The elongated transfer recording medium 1 thus produced was wound into a roll and incorporated into the apparatus as a supply roll 7. That is, this supply roll 7 is loaded onto a rotatable shaft 7a. Therefore, the leading edge of the transfer recording medium l is placed on the supply roll 7.
is supplied from the guide bar 5a and the thermal head 2.
Via the guide lever 5b, the direction is changed by the guide bars 50, 5d from between the transfer roller 10 and the pressure roller 9 to reach the take-up roll 8, and the tip of the roll is locked by the roll 8. By the rotation of 8, the recording medium 1 is sequentially wound around the circumferential surface of the roll 8. Here, the winding roll 8 is driven and rotated by known means.

Here, the transfer recording medium 1 is conveyed by the transfer roller 10 by guide bars 5a and 5b so that the winding angle with respect to the thermal head 2 is constant. That is, the guide bars 5a and 5b guide the transfer recording medium 1 so that it comes into contact with the thermal head 2 at a constant angle. This thermal head 2 is provided on the support Tb side of the recording medium 1, and has a plurality of heating elements 2 at its tip.
A is provided, and this heating element 2a is controlled to generate heat according to image information. Furthermore, this supply roller 7 is equipped with a hysteresis brake or a friction brake 7 as shown in the figure.
b gives a constant back tension whose value is 1.8 to 2.0 kgf, and this tension causes the support 1b of the transfer recording medium 1 to contact the heating element of the thermal head 2 with a constant pressure. .

On the other hand, in an area on the recording layer la side of the recording medium 1 facing the thermal head 2 with the transfer recording medium 1 in between, a fluorescent lamp 3 was placed 2 cm apart from the recording layer 1a of the transfer recording medium 1. A high color rendering green fluorescent lamp with the spectral characteristics shown in the graph shown in Fig. 4 was used for this fluorescent lamp, and the fluorescent material was (La, Ce, Tb) 203 *0.2SiO2 with Tb'' activation.
- 0.9P206 was used. Tb” as another phosphor
Ten active (Ce, Tb) MgAl +002g.

Y2SiO5: Although Ce and Tb lamps can also be used, the above-mentioned phosphor was used in terms of practical efficiency and working characteristics.

Further, the transfer/fixing section T is composed of a transfer roller 10 and a pressure roller 9, which are provided facing each other with the transfer recording medium 1 in between. This transfer roller 10 has a diameter of 4
A 0 mm aluminum roller coated with Teflon to a thickness of 25 μm is used. In addition, the pressure roller 9
An aluminum roller having a diameter of 30 mm was coated with silicone rubber to a thickness of 5 mm, and was further coated with Teflon to a thickness of 30 μm, and had a hardness of 40° (JISA hardness). Furthermore, the transfer roller 10 and the pressure roller 9 are compressed to a pressure of about 35 g/mrr by a pressure means (not shown).
It was set to press at f.

The transfer roller 10 also uses a built-in heater 1 to transfer and fix the transferred image on the transfer recording medium l formed by the thermal head 2 onto the recording paper 11 by heating and pressing.
The surface temperature is controlled to be about 110°C by 0a. In addition, the transfer medium has a surface smoothness of about 10
Second recording paper 11 was used. Note that this recording paper 11 is
It is sent out from the cassette 12 by the rotation of the supply roller 6. The fed paper 11 is once passed through the register roller 1.
5, and then sent between rollers 9 and 10 in synchronization with the transfer layer on the recording medium 1 by this register roller 15. Note that 16 is a guide.

Further, the casing 14 houses a power source and a control circuit for this image forming apparatus.

Now, FIG. 5 shows a schematic block diagram of the control circuit.

In the figure, circuit 60 is a sequence control circuit. This circuit 60 includes a drive circuit 61 for turning on the fluorescent lamp 3, a drive circuit 63 for energizing a step motor 62 for operating the feed roller 6, and a step for operating the transfer roller 10 for conveying the transfer recording medium 1. A drive circuit 65 that energizes the motor 64, a drive circuit 67 that energizes a hysteresis brake 66 that applies back tension to the transfer recording medium 1, and a drive that energizes the heater 100 to a predetermined temperature based on a signal from the temperature sensor 73 of the transfer roller 10. A circuit 72, an image signal processing circuit 68 that receives an external image signal 69, processes image signal data to be provided to the thermal head 2, and controls a drive circuit that energizes the heating element of the thermal head 2.
, and the indicators on the operation panel are controlled in sequence.

Next, the operation of the embodiment of the above-mentioned apparatus will be explained.

First, recording is started by turning on a switch (not shown) on the operation panel 70 of the apparatus. The sequence control circuit 60 receives a drive signal from the operation panel 70 and energizes the drive circuit 63 to drive the step motor 62.

As a result, the roller 6 starts rotating and feeds one sheet of recording paper 11 from the cassette 12 until the leading edge of the recording paper reaches an alignment sensor 71 (not shown) (installed near the pressure contact part of the register roller 15). continue. When the alignment sensor 71 detects the recording paper 11, the hysteresis brake 66 and the transfer roller 10 (not shown) are activated at a predetermined timing to transport the transfer recording medium 1 and reduce the heat generation of the thermal head 2 according to the image signal. Element 2a is energized. Further, while the thermal head 2 is energized, at least the fluorescent lamp 3 is lit. That is, with the above-described configuration, the heat from the thermal head 2 is transferred to the support 1.
The light from the fluorescent lamp 3 is directly applied to the recording layer 1a. Transfer images corresponding to the image signals are sequentially formed on the transfer recording medium 1 conveyed by this for every 1 lines. The transferred image formed on the recording medium 1 in this way is carried to the transfer roller lO and the pressure contact portion T of the pressure roller 9, but as described above, the transferred image is also transferred to the recording paper 11 by the register roller 15 rotating in synchronization. At the same time, the transferred image is transferred to the pressure contact portion T, and the transferred image is transferred onto the recording paper 11 by the pressure contact force between the rollers 9 and 10.

The recording paper on which the transfer has been completed is discharged to the paper discharge tray 13.

In addition, the mark signal (black) is used to energize the thermal radar 1.
In this case, it does not turn on, but when it is not a mark signal (white), it turns on and generates heat. That is, the energization energy for negative recording was set to 0.8 W/dot×2.0 m5ec.

Further, FIG. 6 shows a drive timing chart of this embodiment.

First, the heating resistor corresponding to the black of the image signal is not energized, but the portion corresponding to the white of the image signal is energized at 2 msec, and at the same time, the high color rendering green image lamp 3 is uniformly irradiated. do.

The irradiation time is 4 m from the start of energization to the heating resistor.
The period was set as sec. 1 msec after irradiation
c elapsed, that is, 5 m s e from the time when the current was started.
After c, the next line is recorded in the same way. A transferred image is formed by sequentially repeating this operation.

With the image forming apparatus described above, the image obtained on the recording paper is very clear, and a high-quality image with good fixability can be obtained.

Next, an example will be described in which the image forming method used in the present invention is applied to a multicolor image forming apparatus.

As already explained using FIGS. 2a to 2d, each is sensitive to four different wavelengths and has different color tones.
i.e. yellow, magenta, cyan.

Multicolor recording is possible by using the transfer recording medium 1 in which the image forming element 31 exhibiting black is provided on the support lb. As such a transfer recording medium 1, an image forming element 31 shown in Tables 2 to 4 is dispersed in a binder, and this is disposed on a base material 1b made of a polyester film having a thickness of 6 μm. Using. The photoinitiators in the image forming element shown in Tables 2 to 5 are about 340 to 380 in order from Table 2.
nm, approximately 380-450 nm.

It absorbs light in the band of about 450 to 600 nm and starts a reaction. Furthermore, the colors used during image formation are cyan, yellow, and magenta in that order.

Table 2 □ Table 3 Table 4 Table 5 Back side The apparatus for obtaining a multicolor image using this transfer recording medium is shown in Table 7.
As shown in the figure.

The difference from the monochrome image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 3 is that four light sources 3a, 3b, 3c, and 3d with different wavelengths are arranged.

These fluorescent lamps include a high color rendering green fluorescent lamp 3a, a diazo copying machine fluorescent lamp 3b, and a black light 3c. In particular, a sharp cut filter L-3818 was placed in front of the diazo copying machine fluorescent lamp 3b in order to obtain desired spectral characteristics corresponding to the image forming element.

FIG. 8 shows the spectral characteristics of the fluorescent lamp in this example.

Next, according to the recording timing chart of the multicolor image forming apparatus according to this embodiment shown in FIG.
The process until a color image is obtained according to image signals corresponding to cyan and black will be explained.

First, the heating resistor corresponding to the yellow color of the image signal is not energized, but the portion corresponding to the white color of the image signal is energized at 2 msec, and at the same time, the fluorescent lamp 3b for the diazo copying machine is uniformly irradiated. do. The irradiation time was 4 msec. After 1 msec elapses after the end of the irradiation, the heating resistor corresponding to the magenta of the image signal is not energized, but the part corresponding to the white of the image signal is energized for 2 msec, and at the same time, high color rendering green image light is applied. The lamp 3a was irradiated uniformly. The irradiation time is 4 m5 ec as in the case of yellow. Similarly, the formation of latent images in all four colors is completed by irradiating the black light 3c for cyan and the health line lamp 3d for black. Therefore, it takes 1 line to form an image.
It takes 5m5ec.

By repeating the above process line by line, a full color image can be obtained on the recording paper.

The setting conditions for the parts other than the light source are the same as in the monocolor embodiment, and the conveyance of the recording paper 11 and transfer recording medium 1 is the same as in the monocolor embodiment.

In this way, the full-color image obtained on the recording paper is a high-quality image with no color shift, high chroma, clarity, and good fixability.

Next, other embodiments will be shown using FIGS. 10 to 12.

The following embodiment is one in which a fixing means is further provided in addition to the above-mentioned embodiment. As mentioned above, normally the transferred image is on paper 11.
If the image is transferred to the paper 11, it will be fixed on the paper 11, but the fixing force may be weak depending on, for example, the material of the transfer recording layer, the type of recording medium, or the atmospheric environment (temperature, humidity, etc.).

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10 (the recording device shown in FIG. 3 above with a fixing means added) or FIG. 12 (the recording device shown in FIG. 7 above with a fixing means added), This means that a means has been established. In this embodiment, a fixing roller 26a and a pressure roller 26b are used as fixing means downstream of the transfer unit T (with respect to the conveyance direction of the paper 11) and along the conveyance path of the recording paper separated from the transfer recording medium 1. is provided. Here, the fixing roller 26a is a φ25 roller made of aluminum alloy and coated with 25 μm thick Teflon, and the surface temperature is controlled to 150°C ± 3°C by a 500W halogen heater 27, and the hardness is 35° (JIS hardness ) with a pressure roller 26b coated with 30 μm Teflon on silicone rubber.
It is biased by a pressure means (not shown) to a pressure of 20 g/mrrr.

Now, FIG. 11 shows a schematic block diagram of the control circuit of the recording apparatus shown in FIG. 10.

In the figure, circuit 60 is a sequence control circuit. This circuit 60 includes a drive circuit 61. which lights up the fluorescent lamp 3. A drive circuit 63 that energizes the step motor 62 for operating the feed roller 6, a drive circuit 65 that energizes the step motor 64 for operating the transfer roller 10 that conveys the transfer recording medium l, A drive circuit 67 that energizes the hysteresis brake 66 that provides back tension; a drive circuit 72 that energizes the heater 10a to a predetermined temperature based on a signal from the temperature sensor 73 of the transfer roller 10;
A drive circuit 75 that energizes the thermal head 7 in the predetermined temperature range described above, a drive circuit that receives an external image signal 69 and processes the image signal data to be applied to the thermal head 2, and that energizes the heating element of the thermal head 2. The signal processing circuit 68 and the indicators on the operation panel 70 are each sequentially controlled.

Note that in this embodiment, unlike the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the guide rollers 5a and 5b are swingable. That is, the seventh
As shown in the figure, 5e is an arm that can swing around a shaft 51, and a guide roller 5a is attached to this arm 5e.
, 5b are arranged, and each can swing around the shaft 51 as the center of rotation. The springs 5f each apply a force in the direction of arrow a-b with constant tension. 5g・5
h are stoppers that respectively regulate the rotation angle of the arm 5e.

With the above configuration, the guide rollers 5a and 5b exist at positions where the tension applied to the transfer recording medium l and the force by the spring 5f are balanced, and fluctuations in the tension of the transfer recording medium l are prevented. Accordingly, the guide roller 5a
- 5b can swing within a predetermined angular range regulated by stoppers 5g and 5h. Therefore, the transfer recording medium
is a predetermined angle range (
In this embodiment, they are guided by guide rollers 5a and 5d so that they come into contact at, for example, about 45° x θ x 180°.

Next, the operation of the embodiment of the above-mentioned apparatus will be explained.

First, recording is started by turning on a switch (not shown) on the operation panel 70 of the apparatus. The sequence control circuit 60 receives a drive signal from the operation panel 70 and energizes the drive circuit 63 to drive the step motor 62.

As a result, the roller 6 starts rotating and feeds out one sheet of recording paper 11 from the cassette 12 until the leading edge of the recording paper reaches an alignment sensor 71 (not shown) (installed near the pressure contact part of the register roller 15). continue.

When the alignment sensor 71 detects the recording paper 11, the hysteresis brake 66 (not shown), the transfer roller 10, and the fixing roller 26a are activated at a predetermined timing to convey the transfer recording medium 1 and to adjust the thermal head 2 according to the image signal. Each heating element 2a is energized. Further, while the thermal head 2 is energized, at least the fluorescent lamp 3 is lit. That is, with the above-described configuration, light from the fluorescent lamp 3 is applied directly to the recording layer 1a, and heat from the thermal head 2 is applied to the conductive recording layer 1a through the support 1b. Transfer images corresponding to the image signals are sequentially formed on the transfer recording medium 1 conveyed by this for every 1 lines. The transfer image formed on the recording medium 1 in this way is conveyed to the pressure contact portion T of the transfer roller 10 and the pressure roller 9, and as described above, the recording paper 1 is moved by the register roller 15 rotating synchronously.
1 is also conveyed to the pressure contact portion T at the same time as the transferred image, and the transferred image is transferred onto the recording paper 11 by the pressure contact force between the rollers 9 and 10.

Here, the transferred image is subjected to a fixing effect by the heat and pressure received when being transferred to the paper 11, but even if the fixing force is weak, depending on the material of the transfer recording layer, the type of recording medium, or the atmospheric environment, for example, The toner is transported to the pressure contact portion F between the fixing roller 26a and the pressure roller 26b, and is completely fixed by being subjected to an auxiliary fixing action by heat and pressure again. Thereafter, the recording paper on which the transfer has been completed is discharged to the paper discharge tray 13.

In each of the above-mentioned embodiments, an example is shown in which heat and pressure are used as the energy for performing the auxiliary fixing action, but depending on the material of the transfer recording layer, for example, only light may be used, or either heat or pressure may be used. Either one or a combination of these may be used.

Similarly, in the case of the full-color recording apparatus shown in FIG. 12, the image is completely fixed.

Still other embodiments will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 to 19.

The embodiment described below is provided with means for applying tension to the transfer medium in a direction opposite to the conveyance direction and means for holding the transfer medium at a constant angle with respect to the recording head with more precision.

According to the above embodiment, when a transfer medium and a recording medium are loaded into the apparatus and operated, back tension is applied to the conveyed transfer medium and it contacts the recording head with a constant pressure and at a constant angle. do. Therefore, even if a platen or the like is not provided, heat or light energy can be reliably applied from one side of the transfer medium, and light or heat energy can be efficiently applied from the other side of the transfer medium. be.

FIG. 13 is a schematic explanatory diagram of the recording apparatus. In the figure, 8
Reference numeral 1 denotes a sheet-like transfer medium, which is loaded as a supply roll 82 wound into a roll, and is conveyed from the supply roll 82 in the direction of arrow a by a heat roller driven and rotated by a morph (not shown). A latent image is formed on the transfer medium 81 by the recording section 83, and the latent image is further transferred to the recording medium 85 at the transfer section 84.
Transfer medium 81 and recording medium 85 after transfer are separated by separation roller 8
6 , the transfer medium 81 is taken up on a take-up roll 87 . Thereafter, the recording medium 85 is configured to be ejected onto an ejection tray 88.

Further, the shaft 82a of the supply roll 82 is provided with means (hereinafter referred to as "tension means") for applying tension, that is, back tension, in a direction opposite to the conveying direction to the transfer medium 81, which will be described later.
) 89 (FIG. 15) is provided, and furthermore, on the upstream side of conveyance of the transfer medium 81 with respect to the recording section 83, the transfer medium 8 to be conveyed maintains a constant angle with respect to the recording section 83. A means (hereinafter referred to as "angle holding means") 90 is provided.

Next, the configuration of each of the above sections will be further explained. First, the transfer medium 81 is transferred to a sheet-like support 8 as shown in FIG.
An ink layer 81 having the property of forming a latent image when thermal energy and light energy are applied simultaneously on 1a.
It is made by attaching b.

An example of the ink is as shown in FIG. It is formed by forming an elemental body, that is,
First, 10 g of the ingredients shown in Tables 6 and 7 are mixed with paraffin oil, and mixed with 2000 g of water together with a surfactant such as a cationic or nonionic surfactant with an HLB value of at least 10, gelatin Ig, and gum arabic 1 g, Further, the microcapsule slurry was obtained by stirring at 8,000 to 10,000 rpm using a homomixer, and then adding NH40H (ammonia) to make the pH 11 or more, followed by solid-liquid separation using a Nutsche filter, and 35°C using a vacuum dryer. , 10
After drying for a while, a microcapsule-like image forming element is obtained. This image forming element is a microcapsule in which the components listed in Tables 6 and 7 mixed with paraffin oil are coated with a shell of gelatin and gum arabic, and the particle size is 7 to 15.
It is formed to have an average particle size of 10 μm.

The image forming element constructed as described above is attached to a support 81a made of a polyethylene terephthalate film having a thickness of 6 μm using an adhesive 91d made of polyester resin or the like.
The transfer medium 81 is configured by sealing the ink layer 81b thereon.

Table 6 Table 7 The sensitizer in the image forming element shown in Table 6 above is about 350
It absorbs light in the ~440 nm band and starts the reaction. Moreover, since this sensitizer has a yellowish tinge, it mixes with brilliant carmine 6B mixed as a coloring agent, resulting in a red color during image formation. Further, the sensitizing agent in the image forming element shown in Table 7 absorbs light in a band of approximately 500 to 600 nm to initiate a reaction. Since this sensitizer has a magenta tinge, it mixes with the phthalocyanine green mixed as a coloring agent, resulting in a black color during image formation.

Next, the tension means 89 and the angle holding means 90 will be explained as shown in FIG.
An aluminum disk 89a having a thickness of 3 mm is fixed to 2a. Further, the disc 89a is provided with a brake coil 89b that applies a magnetic field in the thickness direction thereof.

Further, a guide bar 90a is rotatably provided on the downstream side of the supply roll 82, and an arm 90 is attached to the guide bar 90a.
b is fixed, and a tension bar 90c is attached to the tip of the arm 90b. The tension bar 90c is pulled upward by a spring 90d and is pressed against the support 81a of the transfer medium 81 with a constant force. Further, a potentiometer 90e is attached to the guide bar 90a, and converts the rotation angle of the rotating guide bar 90a into an electric signal, and the electric signal of the potentiometer 90e is used to convert the brake coil 8 to the brake coil 8.
The current flowing through the tension bar 90c is controlled to apply a constant brake to the rotation of the shaft 82a, to apply back tension to the transferred transfer medium 81, and to keep the tension bar 90c at a constant position. . Note that by keeping the position of the tension bar 90c constant as described above, the angle θ( The contact angle with respect to the heating head 83d becomes more accurate and constant.

Further, as shown in FIG. 16, the recording section 83 has a recording head 83a having an arcuate heat generating surface 83d in contact with the support 81a side of the transfer medium 81.
3d, A-4 size line type heating element rows 83e with a width of 0.2 mm and 8 dots/mm are arranged on the surface. Here, as described above, the transfer medium 81 is given back tension by the braking action of the supply roll 82, so that it is pressed against the heat generating surface 83d of the recording head 83a with a predetermined pressure.

On the other hand, two 40W type fluorescent lamps 83b and 83c having spectral characteristics as shown in FIG. One of the fluorescent lamps 83b having the spectral characteristics shown in graph A in FIG.
) 2 P 207 is used. Other phosphors include Eu”+activated Sr 3 (PO4) 21Sr
2P207 and the like can also be used, but it is preferable to use the above-mentioned phosphor that is most suitable for the wavelength characteristics of the sensitizer.

Further, the other fluorescent lamp 83c having the spectral characteristics shown in graph B in FIG. 17 is a high color rendering green fluorescent lamp, and the phosphor is Tb''
・0.2Si02・0.9P 20 a is used. This is also a Tb”+ activated (Ce, T
b) MgA11(,O3g,Y2SiO5:C
Although e, Tb, etc. can also be used, it is preferable to use the above-mentioned phosphors from the viewpoint of practical efficiency, working cycle, and characteristics.

Next, the transfer section 84 is arranged downstream of the recording section 83,
It is composed of a heat roller 84a that is driven and rotated by a stepping motor (not shown) and a pinch roller 84b that is in pressure contact with the heat roller 84a. It is composed of an aluminum roller covered with silicone rubber, and the surface is maintained at 90 to 100°C by the heater 84c. The pinch roller 84b is made of silicone rubber with a hardness of 50 degrees, and the pressing force between the two is 1 to 1.5 Kgf/
It is set to cm2.

Next, the operation when recording is performed by the recording apparatus configured as described above will be explained.

The motor is driven to sequentially feed out the transfer medium 81 from the supply roll 2, and the recording section 3 applies light and heat to the ink layer 81b of the transfer medium 81 in accordance with an image signal, thereby forming a latent image. That is, when the ink layer 81b is exposed to light of a predetermined wavelength and heat, the glass transition point increases and the recording medium 85
Because of this property, as shown in the timing chart in Figure 180, when recording red color, the heating element corresponding to the red color of the image signal is not energized, and the white color of the image signal (white color) is not transferred.
(The recording medium 5 is white)
At the same time, the diazo copying machine fluorescent lamp 83b is uniformly irradiated. The irradiation time is 4 times longer than the energization time to the heating element.
The period is ms. Next, when recording black, after 1 ms has passed after the end of the irradiation, that is, 5 ms after the energization time, the heating element corresponding to the black of the image signal is not energized, and the portion corresponding to the white of the image signal is energized for 2 ms. At the same time, the high color rendering green fluorescent lamp 83c is uniformly irradiated. The irradiation time was 4 ms as before.

In the manner described above, the recording head 83a is controlled according to the black, red, and white image signals to form a negative latent image, and a negative latent image is formed for 10 m s.
The transfer medium 81 is conveyed by the rotation of the heat roller 84a in synchronization with a repeating period of /1ine, and the ink layer 81b on which the latent image is formed is transferred to the recording medium 8 in the transfer section 4.
Black by pressing and heating 5.

A two-color red ink image is transferred to a recording medium 85.

During the recording, when the transfer medium 81 is fed out, the disk 8
9a rotates. At this time, an eddy current flows through the disk 89a to which a magnetic field is applied in the thickness direction, and a braking force is generated in a direction that prevents the rotation of the disk 89a. As a result, the disk 89a
A brake is applied to the rotation of the supply roll 82 directly connected to the
Back tension is applied when the transfer medium 81 is conveyed.

the brake operates integrally with the angle holding means 90;
That is, when the back tension applied to the transfer medium 81 is small, the force of the spring 90d causes the arm 90b to move to the first position.
The brake coil 89b rotates in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 5, and the potentiometer 90e operates according to the rotation angle.
The current increases, the braking force applied to the disc 89a increases, and the back tension applied to the transfer medium 81 increases. On the other hand, if the back tension is large,
Because the transfer medium 81 is pulled, the arm 90b rotates in the opposite direction against the spring 90d, and the potentiometer 90e operates according to the rotation angle to reduce the current flowing through the brake coil 89b, causing the disc to rotate. The braking force of 89a becomes smaller, and the back tension applied to the transfer medium 81 becomes smaller.

Therefore, the pack tension applied when the transfer medium 81 is conveyed is always a constant value, and therefore the transfer medium I is always pressed against the recording head 83a of the recording section 83 with a constant pressing force. Furthermore, when the back tension becomes constant, the arm 90b stops at a constant position, so the transfer medium 81 guided by the recording head 83a of the tensioner 90C1 recording section 83 and the guide bar 9Of is conveyed at a constant angle θ, and is recorded. The head 83a is always pressed against the head 83a at a constant angle.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, the transfer medium 1 is not pressed against the recording head 3a by a platen or the like (but the transfer medium 81 is always pressed against the recording head 83a under certain conditions and heat is applied thereto, and furthermore, the ink layer is simultaneously pressed against the recording head 83a). It is possible to irradiate light.The angle θ is determined from parameters such as the rigidity of the transfer medium 81, but in this embodiment, the angle θ is 12
It is set to 0 degrees.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, in the recording unit 3, light of a predetermined wavelength is uniformly irradiated from the ink layer 1b side of the transfer medium 1, and heat is applied from the support 1a side according to the image information. However, as another embodiment, heat may be uniformly applied to the transfer medium 1 and light of a predetermined wavelength may be irradiated according to the image information, and the support 81a may be made of a light-transmitting material. By using a material, light may be irradiated from the support 1a side, and heat may be applied from the ink layer 81b side.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, an arc-shaped recording head 83a was used, but for example, as shown in FIG. The recording head 83a may also be used.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 19(B), it is configured in a triangular shape,
Recording head 8 provided with a heating element example 83e on its top 83d
3a may also be used.

In this embodiment, as described above (when conveying the transfer medium, a certain tension is applied in the opposite direction to the conveyance of the transfer medium, and the transfer medium is configured to contact the recording head at a certain angle, so that Unlike conventional methods, there is no need for a platen or the like to press the transfer medium against the recording head, and as a result, light can be irradiated from the side opposite to the side to which heat is applied to the transfer medium in the recording section. It is possible to apply heat and light efficiently.Furthermore, it has the characteristics that good image recording can be performed because the transfer medium is always in contact with the recording head under certain conditions. .

Still another embodiment will be described using FIGS. 20 to 21.

In the embodiment described below, the braking force applied to the supply roll can be adjusted in accordance with changes in the tension applied to the transfer medium.

・In other words, the embodiment described below is a recording device that forms a recorded image using a transfer medium fed out from a supply roll wound into a roll. a plate, an electromagnetic means for applying a magnetic field in the thickness direction of the rotary plate, a rotary member that contacts the transfer medium with a constant pressure and is rotatable, and the electromagnetic means according to the rotation angle of the rotary member. It controls the electrical energy given to the

According to the above embodiment, when the supply roll rotates and the rotating plate rotates as the transfer medium is fed out, an eddy current flows through the rotating plate due to the magnetic field generated by the electromagnetic means, and the rotation of the rotating plate is controlled by the eddy current. Power is generated, and as a result, tension is applied to the transferred transfer medium. Furthermore, when the tension applied to the transfer medium changes, the rotating member in contact with the medium rotates, and the electric energy given to the electromagnetic means is controlled according to the rotation angle, so that the rotation of the rotating plate is controlled. On the other hand, a constant braking force is always generated and a constant tension is applied to the recording medium.

FIG. 20(A) is a schematic cross-sectional explanatory view of a recording apparatus to which this embodiment is applied, and FIG. 20(B) is a perspective explanatory view.

In the figure, reference numeral 101 denotes a long sheet-like transfer recording medium, which is wound into a roll and is removably incorporated into the apparatus main body M as a supply roll 102.

That is, this supply roll 102 is removably loaded onto a rotatable shaft 102a provided in the apparatus main body M.

Therefore, first, the leading edge of the transfer recording medium 101 is passed through the supply roll 102, guide rollers 110cm110d, recording head 103a and guide roller 112b, and then passed between the transfer roller 104a and the pressure roller 104b to the peeling roller 1.
05, it is directed by the guide roller 112c to reach the take-up roll 106, and its tip is locked to the take-up roll 106 by means such as a gripper (not shown). Thereafter, by driving and rotating the take-up roll 106 by a known driving means, the transfer recording medium 101 is moved to the direction indicated by the arrow a.
The paper is unwound in the direction and is sequentially wound around the circumferential surface of the winding roll 106.

Incidentally, during the winding, a certain back tension is applied to the supply roll 102 by means described later, and this tension and the guide roller 112a.

112b, the transfer recording medium l is transferred to the recording head 103a.
It is configured to be conveyed while being pressed against the object at a certain pressure and at a certain angle.

Next, the configuration of each of the above-mentioned parts will be individually explained.

First, the transfer recording medium 101 is prepared by depositing a transfer recording layer 101b having a property of forming an image when both thermal energy and light energy are applied onto a sheet-like support 101a, as shown in FIG. It becomes.

An example of this is as shown in FIG. form the body.

Table 8 Table 9 In other words, the ingredients Log shown in Tables 8 and 9 were first mixed with 20 parts by weight of methylene chloride, and then a surfactant such as a cationic or nonionic surfactant with an HLB value of at least 10 or more and 1 g of gelatin were added. 200 m of dissolved water, j! mix, 60
s, oo using a homomixer while heating at °C.

~10. Stir at OOOrpm to emulsify and reduce the average particle size to 26.
Obtain μm oil droplets.

Stirring was continued at 60° C. for 30 minutes, and methylene chloride was distilled off to give an average particle size of 10 μm.

Add 20 mji' of water in which 1 g of gum arabic was dissolved, cool slowly, and then add NH40H (ammonia) water to make the pH over 11 to obtain a microcapsule slurry.
．． Slowly add 0 ml to harden the capsule wall.

After that, solid-liquid separation was carried out using a Nutsche filter, and 35
C. for 10 hours to obtain a microcapsule-shaped image forming element.

This image forming element is the core 101c in Tables 8 and 9.
.

101d is a microcapsule covered with a shell 101e, which is formed to have a particle size of 7 to 15 μm and an average particle size of 10 μm.

The image forming element formed as described above is transferred to the support 101a.
The transfer recording medium 101 is attached with an adhesive 101f on top of the transfer recording medium 101.
Configure.

To explain this in more detail, adhesive 101f, which is made by dissolving 3 cc of toluene in polyester adhesive Polyester-LP-022 (solid content 50%) LCC manufactured by Nippon Gosei Kagaku Kogyo ■, is applied to a 6 μm thick film. It is applied onto a support 101a made of polyethylene terephthalate film. Thereafter, the solvent was removed by drying, and the thickness was measured and found to be about 1 μm. Since the adhesive 101f has a glass transition point of 115° C., a slight tack remains even at room temperature, and the image forming element formed as described above can be easily attached to the support 1a.

Thereafter, a pressure of about 1 kg/CrIf and thermal energy of about 80° C. are applied to firmly fix the image forming element on the support 101a to form a transfer recording medium 1.

The photoinitiator in the image forming element shown in Table 8 turns magenta during image formation, and the photoinitiator in the image forming element shown in Table 9 turns blue during image formation.

Next, the recording section 3 will be explained. The recording section 3 is composed of heating means and light irradiation means.

The heating means generates heat on the surface of the recording head 103a according to the image signal, and has a width of 0.2 mm and 8 dots, for example.
/ mm A-4 size, line type heating element rows 103b are arranged, and as described above, a predetermined pressure is applied to the heating element rows 103b by the back tension when the support 101a side of the transfer recording medium 101 is conveyed. It is configured to be pressed together with. The image signal is generated from a control unit (not shown) of, for example, a facsimile, an image scanner, or an electronic blackboard depending on the purpose.

On the other hand, the transfer recording layer 101b facing the recording head 103a
On the side, for example, two fluorescent lamps 103c and 103d, which are 2OW type light irradiation means, are placed about 2 times lower than the transfer recording medium 101.
They are placed 5mm apart.

Furthermore, the transfer recording medium 1 is in pressure contact with the recording head 103a.
A fluorescent lamp 103c is provided only in the area directly above the heat generating element row 01.

The housing 103 is irradiated with direct light of 103d.
e is provided at a distance of about 0.5 mm from the transfer recording medium 101, and the opening width is 1.2 mm.

Next, the transfer section 104 will be explained.

The transfer section 104 is disposed downstream of the recording section 103 in the conveying direction of the transfer recording medium 101, and is in pressure contact with a transfer roller 104a that rotates in the direction of the arrow as shown in FIG. and a pressure roller 104b. The transfer roller 104a is composed of an aluminum roller whose surface is covered with silicone rubber having a thickness of 1 mm and a hardness of 70 degrees.
oow's halogen heater 104c reduces the surface to 90~
It is configured to be maintained at 100°C.

The pressure roller 104b is made of an aluminum roller coated with silicone rubber having a hardness of 70 degrees to a thickness of 1 mm.
The pressing force with 4a is set to 6-7 kgf/cm.

Further, the recording paper 108, which is a recording medium loaded in the cassette 107, is transported by a feeding roller 109. Register roller pair 11
0a and 110b, the recording medium 101 is configured to be fed to the transfer unit 104 in synchronization with the image area of the transfer recording medium 101.

Next, the operation when recording is performed by the recording apparatus configured as described above will be explained.

In the embodiment described below, an example will be shown in which heat is applied selectively depending on the image signal, and light is applied uniformly.

A motor (not shown) is driven to sequentially feed out the transfer recording medium 101 from the supply roll 102, and an image is formed by applying light and heat to the transfer recording layer 101b of the transfer recording medium 101 in the recording section 103 according to the image signal. be done.

That is, when the transfer recording layer 101b is exposed to light and heat of a predetermined wavelength, its softening point temperature increases and it is no longer transferred to the recording paper 108. Therefore, when recording magenta color, the heating element array 103b The heating element corresponding to magenta of the image signal is not energized, but the portion corresponding to white of the image signal (recording paper 10B is white) is energized for 25 ms, and with a delay of 5 ms, the fluorescent lamp is turned on. 103c is uniformly irradiated. The irradiation time at this time is 45 ms.

Next, when recording blue color, 50 m s after the end of the irradiation.
After 100m5 elapsed, that is, 100m5 after the energization time, the heating elements corresponding to the blue of the image signal in the heating element row 103b are not energized, and the portion corresponding to the white of the image signal is energized.
m5 is energized, and after SMS, the fluorescent lamp 103d is uniformly irradiated. The irradiation time at this time was also 45 m5 as above.
It is.

In the manner described above, the recording head 103a is controlled according to the blue, magenta, and white image signals to form a negative image on the transfer recording layer 1b, and the images are synchronized at a repetition period of 200 ms/line. to convey the transfer recording medium l. Furthermore, in the transfer section 104, the transfer recording layer 101b on which the image has been formed is pressed against the recording paper 108 and heated, thereby making it possible to transfer the two-color transfer image of blue and magenta onto the recording paper 10B. Furthermore, the transfer recording medium 101 and the recording paper 108 that have passed through the transfer section 104 are peeled off by a peeling roller 105, and the transfer recording medium 101 is separated by a peeling roller 105.
The recording paper 108 that has been wound up by the roller 06 and on which the image has been transferred is discharged onto the tray 111 by a pair of discharge rollers 113a-b.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 22, the shaft 102a of the supply roll 102 is provided with means for applying tension, that is, back tension, to the transfer medium 101 in a direction opposite to the conveying direction (hereinafter referred to as "tension"). 109 (referred to as "means") is provided, and furthermore, a transfer medium 1 is provided with reference to the recording section 103.
A rotating means 110 is provided on the conveying upstream side of 01, which contacts the conveyed transfer medium 101 with a constant pressure and is rotatable.

Now, to explain the tension means 109, the second
As shown in FIG. 2, the shaft 102a of the supply roll 102 has 16
A gear 102b with 0 teeth is fixed, and a gear 109a with 16 teeth is rotatably meshed with the gear 102b. Furthermore, the shaft 109b of the gear 109a has a thickness of 2.6 m.
An aluminum rotating plate 109c of m is fixed, and the rotating plate 10
A brake coil 109d, which is an electromagnetic means for applying a magnetic field in the thickness direction of the brake coil 9c, is provided so as to sandwich the rotary plate 109c.

Further, a rotating means 110 is configured on the downstream side of the supply roll 102. A guide bar 1100 is rotatably provided, an arm 110e is fixed to the guide bar 110c, and a tension bar 110d is attached to the tip of the arm 110e. Further, the tension bar 110d is pulled upward by a spring 110f, and a constant force is applied to the support member 101 of the transfer medium 101.
It is pressed against a. Further, the guide bar 110c
A potentiometer 110g constituting a control means for controlling the current flowing through the brake coil 109d is attached to the brake coil 109d. As a result, when the arm 110e rotates in response to the tension of the transfer medium 101, the rotation angle of the guide bar 110c that rotates accordingly is converted into an electric signal, and the electric signal of the potentiometer 110g is used to control a known control circuit. The current flowing through the brake coil 109d is controlled via C, a constant brake is always applied to the rotation of the shaft 102a, a constant back tension is applied to the transferred transfer medium 101, and the position of the tension bar 110d is adjusted. It is configured to stay in a fixed position. As described above, by keeping the position of the tension bar 110d constant, the tension bar 110d, the recording section 103, and the transfer medium 101 disposed downstream of the first recording section 103 but guided by the idle bar 112b are The angle θ is constant.

Further, the recording section 103 has a transfer medium 10 as shown in FIG.
The recording head 103a has an arc-shaped heating surface in contact with the side of the support 101a of No. 1, and the recording head 103a has an array of A-4 size line type heating elements of 8 dots/mm arranged on its surface. There is. Here, the transfer medium 101
Since a certain back tension is applied by the braking action of the supply roll 102, the supply roll 102 is brought into contact with the heat generating surface of the recording head 103a with a certain pressure.

Therefore, during the recording, when the transfer medium 101 is fed out, the supply roll 102 rotates, and this rotation causes the gear 102 to rotate.
b and gear 109b, the speed is increased in accordance with the gear ratio, and the rotation speed is 1 of the rotation speed of the supply roll 102.
The rotating plate 109C rotates at a rotation speed of 0 times. At this time, an eddy current flows through the rotating plate 109c to which a magnetic field is applied in the thickness direction, and a braking force is generated in a direction that prevents rotation of the rotating plate 109c. As a result, a brake is applied to the rotation of the supply roll 102 connected to the rotary plate 109c, and the transfer medium 1
Back tension is applied to the conveyance of 01.

The brake is controlled by the rotation of the arm 1.10e. That is, when the back tension applied to the transfer medium 101 is small, the force of the spring 110f causes the arm 110e to rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. The current increases, increasing the braking force applied to the rotating plate 109c and increasing the back tension applied to the transfer medium 101. Furthermore, if the reverse Nipack tension is large, the transfer medium 101 is pulled, so the arm 110e rotates in the opposite direction as shown by the arrow, resisting the spring 110f, and the potentiometer 11
0g operates to reduce the current flowing through the brake coil 109d, the braking force applied to the rotating plate 109c becomes smaller, and the back tension applied to the transfer medium lot becomes smaller.

Therefore, the back tension applied when the transfer medium 101 is conveyed is always a constant value, and therefore the transfer medium 101
is always pressed against the recording head 103a of the recording unit 103 with a constant pressure contact force, and as a result, stable heat is applied to the transfer medium 101 from the recording head 103a.

Furthermore, when the back tension becomes constant, the arm 1
In order for 10e to remain stationary at a certain position, tension bar 11
0d, the transfer medium 101 guided by the recording head 103a of the recording unit 103 and the guide bar 112b is at a constant angle θ
The recording head 103a is conveyed with a certain angle and is pressed against the recording head 103a at a constant angle.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, the transfer medium 10 does not need to be pressed against the recording head 103a by a platen or the like.
1 is one in which heat is always applied to the recording head 103a under constant conditions.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the case of two-color recording was explained as an example of applying a constant tension to the transfer medium, but this can be similarly applied to the case of monochrome recording or the case of recording of three or more colors. Of course.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, thermal energy and light energy are applied to the transfer medium 1 to form a latent image, and the latent image is transferred to the recording medium 5.
An example of transferring to the transfer medium has been shown, but the configuration in which tension is applied to the transfer medium uses a transfer medium formed by coating a support with heat-melting (including softening and sublimation) ink, and records are recorded on the transfer medium. The present invention can be similarly applied to a thermal transfer recording method in which ink is melted and transferred to a recording medium by applying heat in accordance with an image signal with a head.

As described above, in this embodiment, when conveying the transfer medium wound around the supply roll, a rotary plate is provided that rotates with the rotation of the supply roll, and an electromagnetic field is generated in the thickness direction of the rotary plate. In addition, since it is configured with means for controlling the electromagnetic field, it is possible to generate eddy current in the rotary plate and apply a constant braking force to the rotation of the supply roll, thereby reducing the speed of the transfer medium being conveyed. Since a constant tension can be applied to the transfer medium, it is possible to press the transfer medium against the recording head at a constant pressure without using a platen as in the conventional method.

Still another embodiment will be described using FIG. 23 and FIG. 24.

In the embodiment described below, the support of the transfer recording medium is formed of a light-transmitting material, so that the transfer recording medium is sent along the transportable path as a light source for applying optical energy to the transfer recording medium. A heat source for applying thermal energy to the transfer recording medium is provided on the side of the transfer recording medium where the support is located, and when the transfer recording medium is sent along the transportable path, the It is provided on the side of the transfer recording medium where the transfer recording layer is located.

FIG. 23 shows an example of a monochrome image forming apparatus to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. The transfer recording medium l used in the apparatus of this embodiment is made by dispersing an image forming element composed of the components shown in Table 1 in a binder, and then dispersing the image forming element into a base made of a transparent polyester film having a thickness of 6 μm. 1b. The sensitizer in this image forming element absorbs light in a band of 500 to 600 nm and initiates a reaction. In addition to transparent polyester film, the material of the base material 1b may be transparent polyimide or transparent aramid, and is not limited to transparent materials (i.e., materials that can transmit light from a light source). Any light transmittance is sufficient.

Therefore, according to the structure of this embodiment, heat from the thermal head 2 is applied directly to the recording layer 1a, and light from the fluorescent lamp 3 is applied to the recording layer 1a after passing through the transparent support 1b.

Transfer images corresponding to the image signals are sequentially formed on the transfer recording medium 1 conveyed by this for every l line. The transfer image formed on the transfer recording medium l in this way is carried to the pressure contact portion T of the transfer roller 10 and the pressure roller 9, but as described above, the recording paper 11 is also transferred by the register roller 15 that rotates in synchronization. It is carried to the pressure contact part T at the same time as the image,
The transferred image is transferred onto the recording paper 1 by the pressure between rollers 9 and 10.
1. The recording paper on which the transfer has been completed is discharged to the paper discharge tray 13.

With the image forming apparatus described above, the image obtained on the recording paper is very clear, and a high-quality image with good fixability can be obtained.

Next, an embodiment in which the image forming method used in the present invention is applied to a multicolor image forming apparatus will be described using FIG. 24.

As already explained, a transfer recording medium 1 is used in which image forming elements each sensitive to three different wavelengths and exhibiting different color tones, that is, yellow, magenta, and cyan, are provided on a support lb. Multi-color recording is possible. Such a transfer recording medium 1 includes one in which the image forming elements shown in Tables 3 to 5 are dispersed in a binder and disposed on a base material 1b made of a transparent polyester film with a thickness of 6 μm. Using. The photoinitiators in the image forming element shown in Tables 3 to 5 are about 340 to 380 in order from Table 3.
nm.

It absorbs light in a band of about 380 to 450 nm, about 450 to 600 nm, and starts a reaction. The colors at the time of image formation are cyan, yellow, and magenta in this order.

A device for obtaining a multicolor image using this transfer recording medium 1 is installed in a second device.
Shown in Figure 4.

The difference from the monochrome image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 23 is that three light sources 3a, 3b, and 3c with different wavelengths are arranged.

These fluorescent lamps include a high color rendering green fluorescent lamp 3a, a diazo copying machine fluorescent lamp 3b, and a black light 3c. In particular, a sharp cut filter L-3818 was placed in front of the fluorescent lamp 3b for the diazo copying machine in order to obtain desired spectral characteristics corresponding to the image forming element.

FIG. 8 shows the spectral characteristics of the fluorescent lamp in this example.

Next, a process until a color image is obtained in accordance with image signals corresponding to yellow, magenta, and cyan will be described according to the recording timing chart of the multicolor image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment shown in FIG.

First, the heating resistor corresponding to the yellow of the image signal is not energized, but the portion corresponding to the white of the image signal is energized for 2 msec, and at the same time, the fluorescent lamp 3b for the diazo copying machine is uniformly irradiated. . The irradiation time was 4 msec. After 1 msec elapsed after the end of the irradiation, the heating resistor corresponding to the magenta part of the image signal was not energized, but the part corresponding to the white part of the image signal was energized for 2 msec, and at the same time the high temperature was turned on. A color-rendering green fluorescent lamp 3a was uniformly irradiated. The irradiation time is 4m5eC as in the case of yellow. Similarly, in the case of cyan, latent image formation for all three colors is completed by irradiating the black light 3c. Therefore, it takes 15m5ec to form one line of image.

By repeating the above process line by line, a full color image can be obtained on the recording paper.

The setting conditions for parts other than the light source are the same as in the monochrome embodiment, and the conveyance of the recording paper 11 and the transfer recording medium 1 is the same as in the monochrome embodiment.

In this way, the full-color image obtained on the recording paper is a high-quality image with no color shift, high chroma, clarity, and good fixability.

In each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the members constituting the fixing section and the transfer section are each formed of a roller-like member, but the members constituting the fixing section and the transfer section are not limited to a roller-like member, and may be, for example, a rotating belt. Any configuration that can obtain the desired pressure may be used.

Furthermore, in the embodiments in which a fixing means is provided, the magnitude of the heat and pressure applied to the recording paper in the fixing section is not limited to the values shown in the above embodiments (the characteristics of the transfer recording layer It may be set as appropriate depending on the surface condition of the recording paper and the like.

Furthermore, in each of the above embodiments, in the recording section, light of a predetermined wavelength corresponding to a desired color is uniformly irradiated from the transfer recording layer side of the transfer recording medium, and light of a predetermined wavelength corresponding to the desired color is irradiated from the support side. Although the configuration has been described in which heat is applied, as another embodiment, a configuration may be adopted in which heat is applied uniformly and predetermined light is irradiated in accordance with an image signal.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, light irradiation and heat application were performed with the support in between, but image formation is also possible by performing both light irradiation and heat application from one side of the support.

Further, as the heating means, in addition to the method using the recording head described above, a method of selectively heating using a YAG laser and a polygon mirror, etc. may be used.

As the light irradiation means, in addition to the above-mentioned method using a fluorescent lamp, for example, a method using an LED array, a method using a xenon lamp and a filter matching the light absorption characteristics of the material, etc. can be used.

Incidentally, in the above embodiment, light energy and thermal energy are applied to the transfer recording layer at the same time, but even if the structure is such that the optical energy and thermal energy are applied separately,
Any configuration is sufficient as long as both energies are imparted as a result.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example was shown in which an image is transferred and recorded onto a recording paper by changing the softening point temperature of a transfer recording layer made of a polymeric material containing a colorant using light energy and thermal energy. Images may be transferred and recorded based on differences in adhesive properties or sublimation properties to the recording paper. Alternatively, an image can be recorded by providing a transfer recording medium with a layer that imparts color development to the recording paper and changing the color development characteristics of the recording paper, and transferring the image formed on the transfer recording medium to the recording paper. It may be configured to obtain.

Furthermore, in each of the above embodiments, the material may be a material that increases the softening temperature of the transfer recording layer when the plurality of types of energy are applied, or may be a material that decreases the softening temperature as appropriate. Applicable.

Further, the plurality of types of energy applied to the transfer recording layer are not limited to the above-mentioned heat and light energy, and images may be formed using, for example, ground energy such as pressure energy.

In addition to the above-mentioned polyethylene terephthalate, for example, polyamide, polyimide, capacitor paper, cellophane paper, etc. can be used as the material for the support.

Further, as the transfer recording layer, it is possible to appropriately select and use a material having properties such as heat melting property, heat softening property, or heat sublimation property.

Furthermore, the recording medium is not limited to the above-mentioned recording paper, but can be used, for example, with an overhead projector (OH
Of course, plastic sheets for P) can also be used.

Furthermore, as demonstrated above, this example applies energy of at least one type of light and heat to a transfer recording medium having a transfer recording layer whose physical properties governing transfer characteristics change when light and heat energy are applied. An image forming apparatus that has the steps of forming a transferred image by applying the light and heat energy under conditions corresponding to recorded information, and transferring the transferred image to a transfer medium, can achieve the desired purpose. It is possible to achieve the following.

That is, in the image forming apparatus according to this embodiment, the formation of a transferred image and the transfer process are separated, and in the transfer process, since the transferred image has already been formed, the restriction on image-wise selective energy application is lifted. Therefore, it is possible to provide the transfer recording medium with the energy necessary to transfer and form a clear image depending on the surface properties of the medium to be transferred. In addition, the transferred image formed as a pre-process is not simply an image with a change in properties such as a thermally fused image. By using it in the process, it is possible to reliably transfer the image, and it is also possible to faithfully transfer the transferred image.

For example, when a thermally fused image is used as a transferred image, it is desirable to maintain the thermally fused image completely from the transfer image formation process to the transfer process. There is a risk that the image will become blurred due to heat conduction to the surroundings. However, in the case of this embodiment, the physical properties that govern the transfer characteristics, such as the melting point, softening point, and viscosity at the same temperature of the transfer recording layer, are changed image-wise to form the transferred image. Even the transcription process is memorized,
Furthermore, as long as energy that changes the physical properties is not applied after the transfer image forming step, no deterioration in the transferability of the transferred image or image blurring will occur. For this reason, even if the surface smoothness of the transfer medium is low, it is possible to form an image with high image quality, and the transferred image can be transferred to the transfer medium without deteriorating its image quality.

Furthermore, in the image forming apparatus according to this embodiment, the application of signalized energy for forming a transferred image and the application of uniform energy for transfer are functionally separated. Compared to the case where the signaled energy must be used as energy for transfer at the same time, the conditions for applying energy are relaxed, for example,
The amount of energy for forming a transferred image only needs to cause a change in the physical properties of the transfer recording layer, and the energy for transfer can be uniform energy that is not converted into a signal, so the desired transfer speed can be adjusted. It can be increased accordingly, and high-speed recording can be easily realized.

In addition, the thermal response speed of the thermal heads used in conventional thermal transfer recording devices is 1 to 5 m5 even for the fastest one.
It is about ec. If an attempt is made to drive at a faster repetition rate than that, the temperature will not rise or fall sufficiently within one cycle, resulting in insufficient heating or, conversely, the temperature not being able to drop completely, which will affect image quality due to heat accumulation. This is the biggest factor that hinders speed-up, but if multiple types of energy are used as in this example, for example by combining a thermal head and light irradiation, the heating state will be effective even if heat is accumulated. Since this occurs only during light irradiation, by irradiating light only during a limited time period near the peak temperature, it becomes possible to make it less susceptible to the effect of the temperature drop rate after the peak temperature, which was the case in the past. Even if a thermal head is used, it is possible to perform a recording operation with a shorter repetition cycle, which facilitates high-speed recording.

In addition, since the image forming apparatus according to this embodiment forms a transferred image by applying multiple types of energy, compared to the conventional case where a transferred image is formed using only heat, only one type of energy is required to form the transferred image. There are a plurality of transfer images, and the degree of physical property change that forms the transferred image can be adjusted in stages accordingly. In addition, even when using multiple types of energy, even if heat is used, it is possible to use light or other energy that has a quick response (and other energies whose intensity can be easily adjusted in stages), so it is possible to use intermediate tones. For example, by setting the intensity or time of light irradiation in three stages and combining it with heating, it becomes possible to express gradations in four stages (three stages + non-heating).

Furthermore, although it is desired that such control be performed at high speed, the ability to use energy with a quick response such as light in combination also enables high-speed halftone recording.

Furthermore, in the image forming method according to this embodiment, the transferred image is formed by changing the physical properties that govern the transfer characteristics, but these physical properties are arbitrarily determined depending on the type of transfer recording medium used. For example, in the case of a transfer recording medium in which the transferred image is transferred in a thermally molten state, it is the melting temperature, softening temperature, glass transition point, etc.
In the case of a transfer recording medium in which the transferred image is transferred in an adhesive state or in a permeable state to the transfer medium, the viscosity is the same at the same temperature.

In the image recording apparatus of the present invention, in addition to the image forming process and the transfer recording medium, as mentioned above, as disclosed in the specification previously filed by the applicant, a coloring agent forming the image forming element is used. By appropriately selecting the type of agent and photoinitiator, and selecting a light source with a wavelength that causes the photoinitiator to react, and using the process disclosed in the above application, monochromatic, two-color, or multicolor of three or more colors can be produced. Alternatively, a full color recorded image can be obtained.

As described above, the present invention provides a recording apparatus that can record high-quality images even on transfer media with low surface smoothness.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figures 1a to 1d are explanatory diagrams for explaining the principle of forming a transferred image using light and thermal energy, and Figures 2a to 2d are illustrations of a multicolor transfer recording medium and a thermal head. Figure 2e is a partial diagram showing the relationship between a multicolor recording medium and a transfer medium, Figure 3 is a configuration diagram of a monochrome image forming apparatus, and Figure 4 is a partial diagram showing the relationship between a multicolor recording medium and a transfer medium. A diagram showing the spectral characteristics of the light source used, Figure 5 is a control circuit block diagram of a monochrome image forming apparatus, Figure 6 is a timing chart for applying light and thermal energy in a monochrome image forming apparatus, and Figure 7 is a multicolor image forming apparatus. Figure 8 is a diagram showing the spectral characteristics of the fluorescent lamp used in the multicolor image forming apparatus, Figure 9 is a timing chart for applying light and thermal energy in the multicolor image forming apparatus, and Figure 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of the forming apparatus. A block diagram of a monochrome image forming apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 11 is a control circuit block diagram of the apparatus shown in FIG. 10; FIG. 12 is a multicolor image forming apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 13 is an overall schematic explanatory diagram of another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of the transfer medium, FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of tension applying means and angle holding means, FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram of contact between the recording head and the transfer medium, and FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of the transfer medium.
Figure 18 is a graph explanatory diagram showing the characteristics of the light source, Figure 18 is a timing chart for applying heat and light, Figure 19 (A) and (B) are explanatory diagrams of other examples of the recording head, FIG. 20(A) is a configuration diagram of a recording apparatus to which another embodiment of the present invention is applied, FIG. 20(B) is a perspective view of its main parts, FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of a transfer medium, and FIG. 22 is FIG. 20(A) is a perspective view of a main part of the apparatus, and FIGS. 23 and 24 are side views of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied. In the figure, l......Transfer recording medium 1a...
......Transfer recording layer 2...Thermal head 2a...Heating element 3.
・・・・・・・・・・・・Fluorescent light 9 ・・・
・・・・・・・・・Pressure roller 10・・・・・・Transfer roller 11・・・・・・・・・Recording paper 1
2...Cassette

Claims (22)

[Claims] (1) Conveyance means for conveying a transfer recording medium having a transfer recording layer whose transfer characteristics change when first energy and second energy different from the first energy are applied. and a first energy applying means for applying the first energy to the transfer recording medium, which is provided along the conveyance path of the transfer recording medium conveyed by the conveyance means, and the second energy applying means. a recording section having a second energy applying means for applying energy; and a tension applying means for applying tension to the transfer recording medium so that the transfer recording medium presses the first energy applying means; a transfer means for transferring an image formed on the transfer recording medium in the recording section to the recording medium; and a conveyance means for conveying the recording medium to the discharge section via the transfer means. An image recording device comprising: (2) The image recording apparatus according to claim (1), further comprising means for holding the transfer recording medium at a constant angle with respect to the first energy applying means. (3) The image recording apparatus according to claim (1), wherein the first energy applying means is a thermal head. (4) The image recording apparatus according to claim (1), wherein the second energy applying means is a light source. (5) The image recording apparatus according to claim (1), wherein the change in transfer characteristics is a change in softening temperature. (6) Claim 1 further comprising a fixing means downstream of the transfer means (with respect to the traveling direction of the recording medium) for fixing the image transferred from the transfer recording medium to the recording medium. ). (7) An apparatus for recording an image on a recording medium using a transfer recording medium having a transfer recording layer whose transfer characteristics change when light energy and thermal energy are applied, the apparatus conveying the transfer recording medium. a conveyance means; a heating means for imparting thermal energy to the transfer recording medium provided along the conveyance path of the transfer recording medium conveyed by the conveyance means; and a heating means for imparting optical energy to the transfer recording medium. a recording unit having a light irradiation unit; a transfer unit for transferring an image formed on a transfer recording medium in the recording unit to a recording medium; and a tension applying unit for applying tension to the transfer recording medium. An image recording apparatus comprising: means for guiding the transfer recording medium so that the transfer recording medium contacts the heating means at a constant angle. (8) The image recording apparatus according to claim (7), wherein the transfer recording medium is pressed against the heating means by tension. (9) Along a transportable path of a transfer recording medium that has a transfer recording layer whose physical properties governing transfer characteristics change when applied with light energy and thermal energy, and a support that supports the transfer recording layer. , a light source for applying light energy to the transfer recording medium, the light source being provided on the side of the transfer recording medium where the transfer recording layer is located when the transfer recording medium is sent along the transportable path; When the transfer recording medium is sent through the above transportable path,
a heat source provided on the side of the transfer recording medium where the support is located for applying thermal energy to the transfer recording medium; and a heat source for transferring the image formed on the transfer recording medium to the transfer medium.
An image recording device comprising: a transfer means for fixing; and a conveyance means for conveying the transferred medium to a transfer position by the transfer means in synchronization with the image formed on the transfer recording medium. Device. (10) The image recording apparatus according to claim (9), wherein the thermal energy applied by the heat source is applied to the transfer recording medium according to image information. (11) The image recording apparatus according to claim (9), wherein the image formed on the transfer medium is a monochromatic image. (12) The image recording apparatus according to claim (9), wherein the image formed on the transfer medium is a multicolor image. (13) The image recording apparatus according to claim (9), further comprising a fixing means for fixing the transferred image transferred to the transfer medium by the transfer means onto the transfer medium. (14) In a recording device that forms a recorded image using a transfer medium fed out from a supply roll wound into a roll, a conductive rotary plate that rotates as the supply roll rotates; an electromagnetic means that applies a magnetic field in the thickness direction; a rotating member that contacts the transfer medium with a constant pressure and is rotatable; and controlling electrical energy applied to the electromagnetic means according to a rotation angle of the rotating member. A recording device comprising: a control means. (15) A supply means for supplying a transfer recording medium having a transfer recording layer whose physical properties governing transfer characteristics change when applied with light energy and thermal energy; and a transfer recording medium supplied by the supply means. a recording section having a heating means for applying thermal energy to the image, and a light irradiation means for applying optical energy to the recording medium; a transfer means for applying tension to the transfer recording medium; and a control means for controlling the tension of the tension applying means according to the tension of the transfer recording medium. An image recording device characterized by: (16) The image recording apparatus according to claim (15), wherein the transfer recording medium is pressed against the heating means by tension. (17) The image recording apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the control means includes a potentiometer. (18) The image recording apparatus according to claim (15), wherein the tension applying means includes electromagnetic means. (19) In an image recording apparatus that records on a recording medium and below, a transfer recording layer whose transfer characteristics change by applying a first energy and a second energy different from the first energy. a conveyance means for conveying a transfer recording medium having a transfer recording medium; and a conveyance means for imparting the first energy to the transfer recording medium, provided along a conveyance path of the transfer recording medium conveyed by the conveyance means. a recording unit having a first energy applying means and a second energy applying means for applying the second energy; and a recording unit configured to press the transfer recording medium against the first energy applying means. and means for guiding the transfer recording medium so that the transfer recording medium contacts the first energy applying means within a predetermined angular range. image recording device. (20) The image recording apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the first energy applying means is a thermal head. (21) The image recording apparatus according to claim (19), wherein the second energy applying means is a light source. (22) The image recording apparatus according to claim (19), wherein the change in transfer characteristics is a change in softening temperature.